What does exposure mean in epidemiology?

In epidemiology, the term “exposure” can be broadly applied to any factor that may be associated with an outcome of interest. When using observational data sources, researchers often rely on readily available (existing) data elements to identify whether individuals have been exposed to a factor of interest.

What is disease exposure?

When it comes to infectious diseases, “exposure” means coming into contact with a virus or bacteria. Infection happens when someone is exposed and actually becomes sick from the exposure. Exposure does not always lead to an infection.

What is the difference between exposure and outcome?

The exposure refers to any characteristic that may explain or predict the presence of a study outcome. The outcome refers to the characteristic that is being predicted.

What is exposure and example?

Exposure is defined as the state of being in contact with something or is defined as a condition that can develop from being subject to bad weather. When someone introduces you to theatre, this is an example of a situation where you receive exposure to theatre.

What is exposure in public health?

“Exposure” is defined as the “contact between an agent and a target” (World Health Organization 2004).

What is exposure medical term?

Exposure, in biology, contact of an organism with a harmful agent, e.g., chemicals. Exposure, in medicine, poor health or death due to lack of protection from extreme weather or dangerous substances, e.g., from hypothermia or sunburn. Exposure assessment, in epidemiology and risk assessment.

What is exposure and outcome in epidemiology examples?

For example, smoking is clearly the exposure of interest in a study that examines whether smokers are more likely to develop lung cancer than non-smok- ers, but would be the outcome in a study examining the effectiveness of an anti-smoking intervention programme in reducing the frequency of smoking in a certain …

What is exposure in risk?

Risk exposure is the measure of potential future loss resulting from a specific activity or event. An analysis of the risk exposure for a business often ranks risks according to their probability of occurring multiplied by the potential loss if they do.

What is the meaning of exposure in biology?