Book Title: Epidemiology: An Introduction with a Focus on Behavioral Health

Book Description

Epidemiology is the study of the distribution of health outcomes and their determinants, and the application of such knowledge to improve public health. Essentially, epidemiologists measure and count phenomena in a given population. Epidemiology is an exercise in counting and questioning what is being counted. Since public health deals with health problems among humans and human nature is complicated, counting the number of human beings with health issues and various traits or behaviors with limited resources and time at our disposal is equally complicated.

One domain of health science is behavioral health, a broad field that encompasses mental health, alcohol and substance use disorders, and health behaviors, as well as their determinants and consequences. This book is intended as an introductory-level epidemiology textbook for upper-level undergraduate and first-year graduate students with a focus on behavioral health. The author hopes that the content of this book will be useful for medical students and professionals in public health, as well as those who are interested in public health data analytics. The author also hopes that the materials in this book, particularly those pertaining to measurements, confounding, and bias, can be of use to those who wish to be more inquisitive and question the world around them.