Research Methods in Occupational Epidemiology

Book excerpt: Occupational epidemiology has emerged as a distinct subdiscipline of epidemiology and occupational medicine, addressing fundamental public health and scientific questions relating to the specification of exposure-response relationships, assessment of the adequacy of occupational exposure guidelines, and extrapolation of hazardous effects to other settings. This book reviews the wide range of principles and methods used in epidemiologic studies of working populations. It describes the historical development of occupational epidemiology, the approaches to characterizing workplace exposures, and the methods for designing and implementing epidemiologic studies. The relative strengths and limitations of different study designs are emphasized. Also included are more advanced discussions of statistical analysis, the estimation of doses to biological targets, and applications of the data derived from occupational epidemiology studies to disease modeling and risk assessment. The volume will serve both as a textbook in epidemiology and occupational medicine courses and as a practical handbook for the design, implementation, and interpretation of research in this field.