Differences between descriptive and analytical epidemiology
1. Descriptive epidemiology answers this questions who? what? where? when? Of the disease in an attempt to generate a hypothesis while analytical epidemiology is the studies that are conducted to test the hypothesis and give conclusions of a specific disease. Answers the questions why and how.
2. Descriptive epidemiology generates a hypothesis while analytical epidemiology tests the hypothesis.
3. Descriptive epidemiology identifies a group at a risk of a certain disease while analytical gives the cause of a disease.
4. No interventions are done in descriptive epidemiology while interventions are analyzed in analytical epidemiology
Similarities
1. They are both research design used in epidemiology.
2. Both study causes, the occurrence of a disease or health condition.
3. Outcomes from both aid in fulfilling epidemiology objectives.