Epidemiology Unit:
This unit is responsible for policy and operational research in both classical and social epidemiology. As epidemiology is the foundation around which public health was built, the Epidemiology Unit actively participates with the other five units, engaging together in scholarly and scientific initiatives. Together, they contribute to the construction of a Palestinian epidemiological database while engaging in major international debates and discourses in this important field. The unit utilises both statistical and social methodologies, often combining both qualitative and quantitative research methods, to come to a fuller understanding of the causation of diseases, as well as their control and eradication. As part of the Institute, the Epidemiology Unit links its activities to policy recommendation as well as use in teaching, training and public education.
1998 Activities:
Beginning two years ago with conceptualization and study design, we have been working with Oslo University Faculty on a diabetes study. Diabetes is one of the main current public health problems in Palestine. Being a transitional disease, that is a disease that begins to rise in rates with socio-economic changes and other transformations, this study is a main policy study, aiming at generating the information needed for the upgrading and training of health personnel to adequately deal with this disease, especially at the community level. It is also intended to inform policies as well as upgrade and adjust the current health care system to accommodate this newly arising and pressing need. Phase One, basically surveying an entire rural community was completed last academic year. This past year was spent on repeating almost exactly the same study in an urban community. The comparison will offer us the possibility to generalize for policy and training purposes, and to be able to project rates in other regions, given selected much shorter pocket studies elsewhere. At this stage, different scientific papers are being collectively written regarding the subject and entailing the joint work of our Oslo University faculty. In addition, we expect one faculty member here to utilize this work to also obtain his PhD in epidemiology.
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