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1. What are "secular trends" and "cohort effects" in epidemiology? What is the essential difference between the two?
2. What are "temporal clustering" and "spatial clustering" in descriptive epidemiology? What is the significance of each type of clustering?
3. Explain the term "population at risk" and provide at least two relevant examples as seen in the practice of modern epidemiology.
4. Differentiate among ratios, proportions, and rates as used in epidemiology today. Define each of these measurements, and briefly describe its importance in community health.
5. Understanding the characteristics of person, place, and time is crucial for the practice of descriptive epidemiology. For each of these categories, describe the key characteristics and explain why these characteristics are important for assessing variations in health and disease.