1.Group - Study Critique
Review the Raz et al (2015) study attached to this lesson that reviews the association between PM2.5 exposure during pregnancy and childhood autism spectrum disorders. As a group, consider whether the alleged cause and effect relationship is legitimate using Hill's criteria and submit a group critique that includes:
1. Describe the study or investigation hypothesis and conclusion briefly.
2. Describe how well the article meets the criteria for causality (see Friis Chapter 2) including strength, consistency, specificity, temporality, biological gradient, plausibility, and coherence.
3. What is your conclusion? How well do the researchers make the case of causation?
Upload your group's critique under group assignments.
2.Discussion Board - Individual Study Critique - Study Choice
Choose an environmental cause-effect issue that is of interest to you. For instance, do pesticides cause reproductive problems in humans? Do EMRs from cell phones cause brain cancer? Does lead exposure in children cause neurological deficits? Find an environmental epidemiological study on your topic of choice from a peer-reviewed scholarly journal. This study should examine some cause and effect relationship. Post your study idea under the "Study Choice" discussion forum. This will give me a chance to review your study choice and provide some direction for next week's assignment. For purposes of this assignment, I recommend against choosing a "metaanalysis" (a study that makes conclusions based on a collection of other studies) or a laboratory-based study. Choose one that involves an environmental exposure and a human health outcome, such as the study we reviewed this week, or possibly a study involving an animal health outcome or a zoonosis.
3.Individual Study Critique: Assignment - Study Critique -
• Define and appraise the health status of populations, determinants of health and illness, and factors contributing to health promotion and disease prevention.
• Articulate the role of epidemiology for informing scientific, ethical, economic, and political discussions of health issues, and in preserving and improving public health.
For the study you picked in Part 1 of this lesson, briefly describe the cause and effect association researched in your study , and critique the cause-effect relationship based on Hills criteria for causality (see below and Friis Chapter 2,) (7 points). Your critique should be well written and in APA format
Environmental Epidemiology
Considering your own environmental health concerns helps segue into our next topic of environmental epidemiology. Environmental epidemiology is our best tool in public health to seek answers to some of the environmental health issues you have posted; however it is, in my opinion, the most challenging types of all epidemiology, because singling out a cause and effect relationship between our very complicated environments and our very complicated human bodies is, well, very complicated. Hill's criteria of causality helps us sort out the truth.
• Strength
• Consistency
• Specificity
• Temporality
• Biological Gradient
• Plausibility
• Coherence