Quantitative approaches to detect the fourth stage of the epidemiologic transition

Widely diverse quantitative measures have been used to study the onset of the different stages of the epidemiologic transition, including the fourth stage. This report suggests additional methods for detecting the fourth stage of the epidemiologic transition that are more parsimonious than those previously used. While these methods are not new, they have potential for application in this area of research. An example of one of these methods is illustrated, using Canadian data.