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Causality in Epidemiology

Causality in Epidemiology

Causality or causation is a fundamental concept in epidemiology, vital for understanding the relationships between various factors and health outcomes. Despite its importance, there's no single, universally accepted definition of causality within the discipline. Drawing from a systematic review, causality in epidemiology encompasses several definitions, including production, necessary and sufficient, sufficient-component, counterfactual, and probabilistic models. Each has its strengths and...

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Criteria for Causality: Bradford Hill Criteria - II

Criteria for Causality: Bradford Hill Criteria - II

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Criteria for Causality: Bradford Hill Criteria - I

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The Bradford Hill criteria are a group of principles that provide a framework to determine a causal relationship between a specific factor and a disease. There are nine criteria that are pivotal in assessing causality in epidemiological studies. Here's a closer look at Strength, Consistency, Specificity, and Temporality criteria with definitions and examples:

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 8, 2026

Quantitative Analysis of Cellular Composition in Advanced Atherosclerotic Lesions of Smooth Muscle Cell Lineage-Tracing Mice

Quantitative Analysis of Cellular Composition in Advanced Atherosclerotic Lesions of Smooth Muscle Cell Lineage-Tracing Mice

Published on: February 20, 2019

A cause without an effect? Primary prevention and causation.

Halley S Faust¹

¹*MPH, 1260 Vallecita Drive, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA. halleyfaust@gmail.com.

The Journal of Medicine and Philosophy

|August 27, 2013

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study revises the definition of clinical primary prevention. It shifts the focus from avoiding harm to achieving optimal health, resolving philosophical challenges in prevention science.

Keywords:

absence of action causation harm optimal health primary prevention

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 8, 2026

Quantitative Analysis of Cellular Composition in Advanced Atherosclerotic Lesions of Smooth Muscle Cell Lineage-Tracing Mice

Quantitative Analysis of Cellular Composition in Advanced Atherosclerotic Lesions of Smooth Muscle Cell Lineage-Tracing Mice

Published on: February 20, 2019

Area of Science:

Health Promotion
Preventive Medicine
Philosophy of Science

Background:

Clinical primary prevention aims to eliminate susceptibility or risk factors to prevent harm.
Philosophical debates, termed "hard questions," question the possibility of "causing not" through action or inaction.
Existing definitions of prevention face limitations due to these metaphysical controversies.

Purpose of the Study:

To examine the limitations of a previously proposed four-step definition of prevention.
To address the metaphysical "hard questions" surrounding the concept of "causing not."
To propose a revised five-step definition of prevention that overcomes these philosophical challenges.

Main Methods:

Critical analysis of the concept of "causing not" in the context of prevention.
Review and critique of a four-step process definition for clinical primary prevention.
Development and proposal of a revised five-step process definition for prevention.

Main Results:

The previous four-step definition of prevention is limited by its engagement with the "hard questions" of "causing not."
A revised five-step process definition is presented.
The revised definition reframes prevention's goal from avoiding harm (a negative state) to achieving optimal health (a positive state).

Conclusions:

The revised five-step definition of primary prevention successfully eliminates concerns related to "causing not."
Shifting the goal to achieving optimal health provides a more robust and philosophically sound framework for prevention science.
This revised approach enhances the conceptual clarity and practical application of clinical primary prevention strategies.