Re: Confounders and Coincidences

["Otto G. Raabe" <ograabe@UCDAVIS.EDU>]

May 5, 2003

Davis, CA



Sure, in its broadest sense epidemiology is the study of diseases and that

applies to all kinds of studies including ecological studies. When I used

the term epidemiology I was thinking about the usual statistically

meaningful studies using standard biostatistical techniques such as

case-control and cohort studies. In these studies unknown confounders are

considered by proper control selection procedures and sufficient sample

sizes. In ecological studies there are no rigorous control selection

procedures since we don't know who is exposed to what.



Otto



**********************************************

Prof. Otto G. Raabe, Ph.D., CHP

Center for Health & the Environment

(Street Address: Bldg. 3792, Old Davis Road) 

University of California, Davis, CA 95616

E-Mail: ograabe@ucdavis.edu

Phone: (530) 752-7754   FAX: (530) 758-6140

***********************************************

************************************************************************

You are currently subscribed to the Radsafe mailing list. To unsubscribe,

send an e-mail to Majordomo@list.vanderbilt.edu  Put the text "unsubscribe

radsafe" (no quote marks) in the body of the e-mail, with no subject line.

You can view the Radsafe archives at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/radsafe/