Final answer:
The majority of traditional approaches to epidemiology are quantitative, relying on statistical analysis of numerical data to study health-related events and conditions in populations.
Step-by-step explanation:
Quantitative epidemiology uses statistical methods to analyze data and uncover patterns related to the cause of morbidity and mortality. It relies on the collection of numerical data, which is then analyzed using statistical techniques. Examples include the calculation of incidence and prevalence rates of diseases in populations, or the correlation of environmental temperatures with the spread of the common cold, as in observational studies. Qualitative approaches, while also important in the broader field of social sciences, are less common in traditional epidemiological methods. Epidemiology often aligns with quantitative data, using numerical and objective analysis to understand health-related events and the distribution of health conditions in populations.