Epidemiological Practices in Research on Small Effects

In modern societies, epidemiology is increasingly confronted with the detection and evaluation of small risks, especially from environmental exposures and various lifestyles. The question arises, if for example, the risks from residential magnetic field exposure and childhood leukaemia, or dietry fa...

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Bibliographic Details
Other Authors: Hoffmeister, Hans (Editor), Szklo, Moyses (Editor), Thamm, Michael (Editor)
Format: eBook
Language:English
Published: Berlin, Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 1998, 1998
Edition:1st ed. 1998
Subjects:
Online Access:
Collection: Springer Book Archives -2004 - Collection details see MPG.ReNa
Description
Summary:In modern societies, epidemiology is increasingly confronted with the detection and evaluation of small risks, especially from environmental exposures and various lifestyles. The question arises, if for example, the risks from residential magnetic field exposure and childhood leukaemia, or dietry fat intake and breast cancer are real, or if they can safely be considered as artefacts, as a consequence of methodological limits of epidemiology? More and more conflicting results are produced and are putting the general public in a state of uncertainty, which, if public pressure is strong enough, might result in political action without the required sound scientific justification. Therefore, strategies have to be developed, to minimise the "noise" in epidemiological studies, in order to get a clearer picture of the real influencing factors, and to reduce the chance of false results. Based on an international conference on this topic, attended by some of the world's leading epidemiologists, this book is presenting an overview of the main difficulties researchers might encounter when studying small risks. It is also offering recommendations on how to proceed when small risks are under study in order to avoid spurious results
Physical Description:VIII, 134 p online resource
ISBN:9783642804632