📊 Category

epidemiology

286 papers

Epidemiology is the study of how diseases spread through populations and what factors influence their patterns. Rather than focusing on individual patients, this field examines broader trends to identify outbreaks, track transmission, and guide public health decisions. By analyzing data on infection rates and risk factors, researchers work to prevent future health crises and protect communities worldwide.

On Gist.Science, we process every new preprint in this category directly from medRxiv to make these critical findings instantly accessible. For each study, we provide both a plain-language explanation for general readers and a detailed technical summary for specialists. This dual approach ensures that vital insights into disease dynamics are understood clearly and quickly by everyone who needs them.

Explore the latest research below to see how scientists are currently mapping disease trends and developing strategies to safeguard global health.

📊 epidemiology

Long COVID Prevalence among U.S. Adults: A State-level Ecological Analysis of the Contribution of COVID-19 Incidence, Severity of Acute Illness, COVID-19 Vaccination, and Chronic Conditions

This ecological analysis of U.S. state-level data reveals that while SARS-CoV-2 incidence, hospitalization rates, and multimorbidity vary across regions, only higher vaccine coverage and greater infection incidence are independently associated with Long COVID prevalence, highlighting vaccination as a critical factor in mitigating long-term impacts.

Zhao, X., Deng, L., Ford, N. D., Saydah, S.2026-03-09
📊 epidemiology

An E-value-Informed Sensitivity Analysis Framework for Hybrid Controlled Trials

This paper proposes an E-value-informed sensitivity analysis framework with a data-driven benchmark and operational decision rule to assess and safeguard the validity of hybrid controlled trials against unmeasured confounding, thereby enabling robust inference while preserving the statistical power gains from incorporating real-world data.

Liu, C., Mayer, M., Lactaoen, K., Gomez, L., Weissman, G., Hubbard, R.2026-03-06
📊 epidemiology

Price Per Standard Drink and Alcohol-Related Outcomes Among Vulnerable Groups in British Columbia: Findings from the Costs, Harms, Expenditures and Alcohol Prices Study

This study found that lower alcohol prices per standard drink are associated with increased alcohol-related harms and risky consumption, particularly among structurally disadvantaged groups in British Columbia, suggesting that minimum unit pricing could effectively promote health equity.

Clay, J. M., Lawrence, K. W., Johal, P. K., Sherk, A., Stockwell, T., Naimi, T.2026-03-06
📊 epidemiology

A bootstrap particle filter for viral Rt inference and forecasting using wastewater data

This paper presents a lightweight, statistically rigorous bootstrap particle filter framework that integrates wastewater, case incidence, and serological data within a state-space model to accurately infer and forecast time-varying effective reproduction numbers (Rt) while overcoming challenges related to missing data, irregular sampling, and parameter unidentifiability.

Xiao, W. F., Wang, Y., Goel, N., Wolfe, M., Koelle, K.2026-03-06
📊 epidemiology

Does frequency or diversity of leisure activity matter more for epigenetic ageing? Analyses of arts engagement and physical activity in the UK Household Longitudinal Study

Using data from the UK Household Longitudinal Study, this research demonstrates that both the frequency and diversity of arts engagement and physical activity are associated with slower epigenetic ageing, with comparable effect sizes between the two activities, particularly among middle-aged and older adults.

Fancourt, D., Masebo, L., Finn, S., Mak, H. W., Bu, F.2026-03-05
📊 epidemiology

Less is more: modelling the impact of species-targeted versus broadcast larviciding approaches for malaria control in rural settings

This modeling study demonstrates that in rural African settings with multiple vector species, preferentially targeting larviciding efforts against the dominant malaria vector (Anopheles funestus) yields substantial epidemiological impact and greater resource efficiency compared to broader, species-agnostic broadcast approaches.

Msugupoakulya, B. J., Okumu, F. O., Wilson, A. L., Selvaraj, P.2026-03-05
📊 epidemiology

Associations of antibodies against several infections with Alzheimer disease neuropathology: a prospective cohort study analysis

This prospective cohort study of the 1946 British birth cohort found no significant associations between serological measures of common infections and Alzheimer's disease neuropathology (plasma p-tau217 and A{beta}-PET status), suggesting that exposure to these pathogens does not directly drive core AD pathology, though potential interactions with APOE {varepsilon}4 carriage and education warrant further investigation.

Felici, C., Green, R. E., Warren-Gash, C., Butt, J., Waterboer, T., Hughes, A. D., Chaturvedi, N., Keshavan, A., Coath (…)2026-03-05
📊 epidemiology

Insights from the second season of collaborative influenza forecasting in Italy with updated targets incorporating virological information

The second season of Italy's Influcast collaborative forecasting hub demonstrated that ensemble models integrating virological data into influenza-like illness targets significantly outperform baseline and individual models, highlighting the value of combining syndromic and virological surveillance for more reliable epidemic forecasting.

Fiandrino, S., Bertola, T., D'Andrea, V., De Domenico, M., Viola, E., Zino, L., Mazzoli, M., Rizzo, A., Li, Y., Perra, N (…)2026-03-05
📊 epidemiology

Chronic absenteeism in Canadian kindergarten classes, pre- and post-COVID-19, and its association with concurrent developmental vulnerability

This population-level study reveals that while chronic absenteeism in Canadian kindergarten classes more than doubled following the COVID-19 pandemic, the traditional link between absenteeism and developmental vulnerability weakened, likely due to a demographic shift where children from higher socioeconomic backgrounds became more frequently absent.

Reid-Westoby, C., Duku, E., Gaskin, A., Janus, M.2026-03-05
📊 epidemiology

Associations of alcohol use in early and middle adulthood with mid- and late-life cognition - a synthetic cohort approach

Using data from the NLSY79, HRS, and a synthetic cohort, this study found no significant association between early-to-middle adulthood alcohol consumption (including abstention, light/moderate, or heavy drinking) and mid-to-late life memory performance, suggesting that alcohol's effects on cognition may not manifest until later in life.

Buto, P. T., Zimmerman, S. C., Kezios, K., Zeki Al Hazzouri, A., Glymour, M. M.2026-03-04