The participants will be acquainted with the basic principles of epidemiological research. These include measures of disease frequency and exposure measurement, basic health measurement (clinimetrics), basic study design (including randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, case control studies, and cross-sectional studies), measures of association, validity and bias in epidemiological research, and a brief introduction of systematic literature review/meta-analysis. The main aims of the course are to enable the participants to appreciate the basic concepts of epidemiology and critically assess epidemiological studies (e.g., research papers or research protocols). For this, use will be made of lectures, group discussions, and small practical individual or group assignments (e.g., questions or calculations related to the topic of the preceding lecture). The course will be attended by students of the Epidemiology master’s programme and the course is available as a stand-alone course for anyone who wants to become acquainted with basic epidemiological methods.
