ABSTRACT

This short communication discusses a project in Rio de Janeiro involving an attempt at imparting clinical  and  social  epidemiology  knowledge  through  educational  initiatives.  In  small  groups,  social epidemiology was discussed in the context of a clinical/epidemiological project on various infectious diseases. Relevant knowledge was produced collaboratively by a multidisciplinary team of  clinical  research  and  project  participants,  comprising  patients,  relatives,  friends,  and  health  workers.  An  improvement  in  the  learning  capacity  of  participants  was  observed,  fostering  active  appropriation of scientific knowledge. In dealing with infectious disease, social epidemiology contributes to the development of new strategies for collaborative research and disease prevention.

KEYWORDS: Health promotion; social epidemiology; infectious diseases.

The  main  focus  of  social  epidemiology  is  the  way  in  which  society  and  different social organizations influence the health and well-being of people and social  groups.  The  discipline  incorporates  the  evaluation  of  living  conditions  and  experiences for a better understanding of how, where, and why health inequalities occur.  A  strong  link  to  the  social  sciences  is  thereby  encouraged  (Barata,  2005;  Kaplan, 2004; Krieger, 2001; Oakes & Kaufman, 2006).

Some  epidemiologists  claim  that  the  prime  contribution  of  social  epidemiology,  from  the  epistemological  and  methodological  points  of  view,  is  its  focus  on  investigating  the  social  determinants  of  health,  disease,  and  well-being in specific populations, rather than describing health and disease as determined by biological processes (Oakes & Kaufman, 2006). Social researchers contend  that  social  epidemiology  comprises  different  methodologies  including  eco-epidemiology,  social  capital  theory,  the  life  course  perspective,  social  production  of  illness,  eco-social  theory,  and  phenomenological,  pragmatist,  and  ethnographic  approaches  to  patients’  experiences  (Marmot,  2001;  Macleod  &  Davey-Smith,  2003;  Avila-Pires,  2013).  All  of  these  theories  link  the  biological  and  social  processes  which  make  up  living  organisms,  each  drawing  on  its  own  theoretical peculiarities to construct a systematic and integrated approach, capable of generating new hypotheses.

Regarding  the  investigation  of  disease  in  human  beings,  the  biological  realities  of  a  given  phenomenon  are  inextricable  from  its  social  context.  Thus,  epidemiology  encompasses  different  social  and  biological  processes  and  their  interrelations. Even if the object of study is circumscribed by the methodology to be used (quantitative versus qualitative), one can argue that connections can be traced, either from biological to social processes or vice versa. This then becomes what one could call a hybrid approach to the study of the determinants of health, seeking to explore the relationships between the organic, behavioral, environmental, and social processes which make up human beings.

This short communication discusses a research project in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, involving an attempt at imparting knowledge of clinical epidemiology and social epidemiology through educational initiatives. In this manuscript, we attempt to highlight the benefits of this approach and the ways in which social epidemiology can interact with clinical research on infectious disease.The mission of the Evandro Chagas Clinical Research Institute (ECCRI) at  the  Oswaldo  Cruz  Foundation  in  Rio  de  Janeiro,  Brazil,  is  the  study  of  infectious  disease  through  patient  care  programs. >READ FULL ARTICLE

Original Contents by Journal of Tropical Pathology, v. 43 n. 1 (2014)