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Emerging Themes in Epidemiology
Published in: Emerging Themes in Epidemiology 1/2005

Open Access 01-12-2005 | Review

Biodemographic perspectives for epidemiologists

Authors: S Jay Olshansky, Mark Grant, Jacob Brody, Bruce A Carnes

Published in: Emerging Themes in Epidemiology | Issue 1/2005

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Abstract

A new scientific discipline arose in the late 20th century known as biodemography. When applied to aging, biodemography is the scientific study of common age patterns and causes of death observed among humans and other sexually reproducing species and the biological forces that contribute to them. Biodemography is interdisciplinary, involving a combination of the population sciences and such fields as molecular and evolutionary biology. Researchers in this emerging field have discovered attributes of aging and death in humans that may very well change the way epidemiologists view and study the causes and expression of disease. In this paper, the biodemography of aging is introduced in light of traditional epidemiologic models of disease causation and death.
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Metadata
Title
Biodemographic perspectives for epidemiologists
Authors
S Jay Olshansky
Mark Grant
Jacob Brody
Bruce A Carnes
Publication date
01-12-2005
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Emerging Themes in Epidemiology / Issue 1/2005
Electronic ISSN: 1742-7622
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1742-7622-2-10

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