The Second Edition of this best selling text is a comprehensive introduction to principles applied in the practice of epidemiology in public health. Featuring the most current data, this revision incorporates modern ideas in epidemiological thinking that have been largely omitted in other textbooks, providing an overview that is up-to-date and thorough. Successfully tested in the authors' own courses at Boston University and Harvard University, Essentials of Epidemiology in Public Health will familiarize readers with terminology and key concepts in the design, analysis, and interpretation of epidemiological research. Broad in scope, the text opens with five chapters covering the basic epidemiologic concepts and data sources. A major emphasis is placed on study design, with separate chapters devoted to each of the three main analytic designs: experimental, cohort, and case-control studies. Full chapters on bias, confounding, effect measure modification, and random error, including the roll of statistics in epidemiology, ensure that students are well-equipped to interpret the results of epidemiologic studies. Up-to-date examples from the epidemiologic literature on diseases of public health importance are provided throughout the book.