Understanding the concepts of epidemiology and improving public perceptions

In Epidemiology the backbone of public health, Greg Martin explains that epidemiology revolves around measuring the causation and distribution of disease (Global Health with Greg Martin, 2017). An introductory public health textbook, the type used in modern college public health courses across the country, similarly claims that epidemiology studies the distribution and determinants of “health related events,” adding that epidemiology can be used to “control health problems” (Seabert et al., 2022). My understanding of epidemiology is that it aims to find why diseases spring their ugly heads into our world and reach their dirty fingers across populations, with the added tinge of aiming to “control” public health using this information. Sound sinister? I thought so too. Gathering data about disease is all well and good but I find the word control specifically interesting. People hear the word “control” and already they’re apprehensive. I know many people (especially men) who absolutely despise seeing a doctor and prefer to live by the “if it’s not broke don’t fix it” principle, oftentimes learning about disease too late and suffering the consequences. To put it plainly some are uninformed or even worse (although most likely), misinformed about disease. Instead of trying to control humans it’s better to inform them, is my personal opinion. Informing the population is how I would use epidemiology to improve community health.

Comparing crude and hypertension death rates in the US and NY

In the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) “all causes” charts there are no significant differences between total US population and New York State population, other than the Y axis (size of population, obviously, there are more people in the US total than there are in NY). But the patterns align almost exactly. There’s an increase in crude deaths from Q3 2023 to Q2 2024 on both charts (CDC, n.d.). New York being as diverse and populated as it is can serve as a general representation of health across the country as a whole, at least in this context. This explains the similarity in these numbers.

Next comes the deaths from hypertension (high blood pressure), which show a similar increase between Q3 2024 and Q2 2025 on both charts (CDC, n.d.). There is a significant difference here though as New York State takes a far bigger leap percentage-wise when it comes to this increase. Occum’s Razor suggests that the simplest explanation is often the correct one. Americans make unhealthy choices, and New Yorkers, too. Over the last 25 years, deaths from hypertension increased by 48% in the United States (American Heart Association, 2025). Almost literally by half. New York’s sharper increase here should come as no surprise. Ultra processed foods are so readily available across America and certainly in densely populated areas like New York that it’s nearly impossible not to consume them. These foods are cheaper and ubiquitous besides! It’s no wonder we see leaps in hypertension. That doesn’t explain the decrease back to normal levels after Q2 2025 though. Perhaps that moment in time is unique because of Covid. We were just barely getting back to “normal” during those years. The rise coincides with the holiday season, too, when Americans forgo their fitness and diet regiments for oily, buttery, fatty, greasy, better-than-anything-you’ve-ever-tasted holiday dishes with no regard for their health. Visit any American home at Thanksgiving or around the New Year to understand what I mean. Cookies, cakes and calories out the wazoo. Americans need to be informed about their choices to reverse this trend because even though there was a slight increase followed by a return back to “normal,” our idea of normal is horribly unhealthy compared to 25 years ago. Information is the key to a healthier country and healthier communities.

Sources:

American Heart Association. (2025, September 4). Deaths from high blood pressure-related kidney disease up nearly 50% in the past 25 years. https://newsroom.heart.org/news/deaths-from-high-blood-pressure-related-kidney-disease-up-nearly-50-in-the-past-25-years.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025). 2025 schedule of NCHS statistical products and reports. National Center for Health Statistics. Retrieved September 13, 2025, from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/calendar/2025_schedule.htm

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Quarterly provisional mortality estimates dashboard. National Center for Health Statistics. Retrieved September 13, 2025, from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/mortality-dashboard.htm

Global Health with Greg Martin. 2017, July 31. Epidemiology the backbone of public health. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5XRh47T420

Seabert, D., McKenzie, J. F., & Pinger, R. R. (2022). McKenzie’s an introduction to community & public health (10th ed., p. 57). Jones & Bartlett Learning.