Developmental epidemiology: a review of three key measures of effect.
Provide readers with a background on 3 widely used epidemiological measures of effect: the risk ratio, the odds ratio, and the population attributable fraction (PAF). The risk ratio and the odds ratio each assess impact of a risk factor on an individual person. The PAF assesses the impact of a risk factor on the overall number of cases of a disorder in a community. Each of these measures is applied to a hypothetical example, and issues regarding their use are discussed.
Tu
Shihfen
S
College of Education and Human Development, University of Maine, USA. shihfen.tu@umit.maine.edu
D000293:Adolescent; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D015340:Epidemiologic Research Design; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011336:Probability; D012306:Risk