Chapter One

Introduction and learning objectives

In this chapter, we will begin by looking at different approaches to scientific research, how these have arisen, and the importance of recognising that there is no single, 'right way' to carry out investigations in the health field. We will then go on to explore the research task, discuss what is meant by epidemiology and statistics, and look at how these two disciplines are introduced and developed in the book. The next section introduces the concept of rates for measuring the frequency of disease or characteristics we are interested in, and in particular the terms incidence and prevalence. These definitions and uses of rates are fundamental ideas with which you should be familiar before we look in more detail at research methods and study design. In the final section, we will look at key concepts in disease prevention, including the commonly used terms primary, secondary and tertiary prevention.

The reason for starting with a brief exploration of the nature of scientific methods is to see how historical and social factors have influenced the biomedical and social research traditions that we take for granted today. This will help you understand your own perceptions of, and assumptions about, health research, based on the knowledge and experience you have gained to date. It will also help you understand the scientific approach being taken in this book, and how this both complements, and differs from, that developed in books and courses on qualitative research methods - as and when yo