Design Concepts in Nutritional Epidemiology

In examining the relationship between nutritional exposure and disease etiology, the importance of a carefully considered experimental design cannot be overstated. A sound experimental design involves the formulation of a clear research hypothesis and the identification of appropriate measures of exposure and outcome. It is essential that these variables be measured with a minimum of error, while taking into account the effects of chance and bias, and being aware of the risk of confounding variables. The first edition of Design Concepts in Nutritional Epidemiology presented a thorough guide to research techniques in nutritional epidemiology. Since the publication of the first edition, we now have a much better understanding of the characteristics of nutritional exposure that need to be measured in order to answer questions about diet-disease relationships. The Second edition has been extensively revised to include the most up-to-date methods of researching this relationship. Included are new chapters on qualitative and sociological measures, anthropometric measures, gene-nutrient interactions, and cross-sectional studies. Design Concepts in Nutritional Epidemiology will be an essential text for nutritionists and epidemiologists, helping them in their quest to improve the quality of information upon which important public health decisions are made.