Social and Environmental Epidemiology in the Inner City: Some Leads from the OPCS Longitudinal Study

Abstract

It is nonetheless still common, at least implicitly, in the analysis of observational studies. Epidemiological studies based on examination of variations of disease rates in geographical areas in the light of other socio-demographic and physical characteristics of the area are not unusual, perhaps since data for such studies are often conveniently available from vital statistics and other government statistical systems. However, estimates of relative risk obtained from such studies, in which exposure and disease rates are known at area level only, will not necessarily be consistent with those obtained from conventional epidemiological studies based on observation of the exposure and disease patterns in individuals (Robinson, 1950).