Five Definitions Of Causation From Epidemiologic Literature

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
CAUSATION
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July 3, 2014
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Causation
The concept of causation is indispensable in the discipline of epidemiology; paradoxically, not a single definition could plainly define the notion of causation. There has been five major definitions spawned to bring out meaning to this concept yet none of them can accurately bring into words the idea of causation. The five categories of defining causation include production, sufficient-component cause, necessary cause, probabilistic cause and counterfactual cause (Parascandola & Weed, 2001).These definitions are educed from a systematic review of the literature; there are various strengths and weaknesses allied with each definition. In order for a definition to be effectual it must be explicit enough so that it can differentiate causation from mere correlation, the definition should not be contracted as this could eliminate apparent causal phenomenon from deliberation (Parascandola & Weed, 2001). Both the production counterfactual concepts are inherently found in all the definitions of causations although this does not imply the two concepts are sufficient by themselves.
Five Definitions Of Causation From Epidemiologic Literature
 
Production
Under this category causation is defined as something which creates or triggers an effect. After cause there is an effect. For example, extreme cigarette smoking leads to lung cancer, in this case the cause is excessive smoking and the effect is lung cancer. Epidemiology is the science of studying the patterns, causes and effects of health and diseases in a given population cluster (Olsen, 2001). Through this science, the health practitioners are able to institute the right measures for evidence based practice. It’s therefore important for them to identify risk factors for disease and the targeted population in order to institute preventive medical care. In this case, the definition of production is utilized to help the health care establish the cause of a disease in order to combat the outcome. When healthcare officers are acquainted with the fact that excessive smoking leads to cancer this helps them to campaign at the grassroots and warn the public on the dangers of extreme cigarette smoking.
Necessary Causes
 
Under this definition the epidemiologists believe that the “cause” of a disease should be limited to highly precise essential conditions (Parascandola & Weed, 2001). This means that the actual cause should be present in order for a specific effect to occur. This concept is applicable with the germ theory of disease for instance Tetanus is caused by a bacteria known as Clostridiu...