Aschengrau and Seage's Essentials of Epidemiology in Public Health, 5th Edition Doody's Expert Review Review Questionnaire ISBN: 9781284286663 ISBN-10: 1284286665 Copyright: 2026 Edition: 5th Author: Aschengrau, Ann Doody's Expert Review    Score: 96 Doody's Star Rating™ and Doody's Expert Review provide by Doody Enterprises, Inc. Reviewer: Taeuk Kang,  PhD(c), MSc, MBiotech  (University of Iowa College of Public Health) Description This book introduces basic epidemiological concepts and data sources, epidemiological study designs, tools for interpreting the results of epidemiological studies, and epidemiological approaches to causation. The previous edition was published in 2018. Purpose This book is a new contribution to epidemiology in the context of public health, presenting evolving perspectives on the field. While covering the essentials of epidemiology, it provides ample up-to-date real-world examples to which readers can easily relate. By providing both traditional and modern approaches as examples, it establishes an in-depth foundation for core epidemiologic concepts and practical study design and interpretation. The content of this book is well aligned with the objectives it sets out. Audience This book is easily comprehensible for its intended audience of public health students, who will eventually be consumers of epidemiological literature and epidemiologists conducting investigations. Its epidemiological insights are especially valuable for those who wish to translate their ideas into public health practice and epidemiologic investigation. The content closely aligns with the current demands of epidemiology, with no major omissions or redundancies. The author is a highly credible authority as an epidemiologist with extensive experience and publications. Features This book comprises 18 chapters and addresses a comprehensive range of topics related to traditional and modern epidemiology, including approaches in epidemiology, disease frequency, data sources, epidemiologic study designs, bias, confounding, random error, effect measure modification, critical appraisal, public health practice, and ethics. This set of topics fully reflects recent changes in the field of epidemiology in terms of size, scope, and influence. The topics are organized and presented in a natural and logical flow to ensure that students are well-equipped with the necessary epidemiologic concepts to interpret the results of epidemiologic studies. In this latest edition, descriptive data and statistics are substantially updated, including revised leading causes of morbidity in the United States and a summary of the COVID-19 pandemic. The book clearly explains modern methods such as mediation analysis, agent-based modeling, difference-in-differences techniques, and the use of directed acyclic graphs to describe confounding. The book includes additional instructor resources such as PowerPoint slides, in-class exercises, journal clubs, test bank questions, lecture outlines, and sample syllabi to support an effective learning experience. Assessment This book compares traditional and modern epidemiologic approaches and substantially contributes to establishing students' foundation in epidemiologic concepts. Its detailed case studies from real-world settings offer insights that are relevant to current and future epidemiologic investigations. In contrast to traditional epidemiology textbooks, it successfully bridges epidemiologic concepts with practical investigations, supported by a plethora of examples from different subfields of epidemiology. Periodic revisions will still be needed given the evolving nature of epidemics and emerging infectious diseases. Review Questionnaire Range Question Score 1-10 Are the author's objectives met? 10 1-10 Rate the worthiness of those objectives. 10 1-5 Is this written at an appropriate level? 5 1-5 Is there significant duplication? (1=significant, 5=insignificant) 5 1-5 Are there significant omissions? (1=significant, 5=insignificant) 5 1-5 Rate the authority of the authors. 5 1-5 Are there sufficient illustrations? 5 1-5 Rate the pedagogic value of the illustrations. 5 1-5 Rate the print quality of the illustrations. 5 1-5 Are there sufficient references? 3 1-5 Rate the currency of the references. 5 1-5 Rate the pertinence of the references. 5 1-5 Rate the helpfulness of the index. 5 1-5 If important in this specialty, rate the physical appearance of the book 5 1-10 Is this a worthwhile contribution to the field? 10 1-10 If this is a 2nd or later edition, is this new edition needed? 8 ©2026 Doody Enterprises, Inc.