📊 Category

epidemiology

357 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

An emerging trend in STI Management: Antibiotic STI Post-Exposure Prophylaxis Prevalence and Determinants in Recent Surveys

This study synthesizes data from nine English surveys (2019–2024) to reveal that antibiotic STI post-exposure prophylaxis use among GBMSM increased from 3.61% to 13.05% over time, with higher prevalence significantly associated with specific demographics (such as transgender women, Black and Asian individuals, and people living with HIV) and high-risk behaviors like chemsex and condomless sex, while noting limitations in generalizability to underrepresented groups.

Berners-Lee, W., Bell, J., Pulford, C., Ogaz, D., Mohammed, H., Harris, R., Saunders, J.2026-02-09
📊 epidemiology

Genomic atlas of 7,000 plasma proteins and their associations with diseases and traits in East Asian populations

This study presents a large-scale proteogenomic atlas of 7,289 plasma proteins in 3,965 Chinese adults, identifying thousands of protein-phenotype associations and causal links that reveal ancestry-specific genetic insights and biological networks, particularly in lipid metabolism and cardiovascular disease, which are often missed in European-centric research.

Pozarickij, A., Wang, B., Mohamed, A., Lin, K., Morris, S., Kartsonaki, C., Wright, N., Fry, H., Chen, Y., Du, H., Benne (…)2026-02-06
📊 epidemiology

Infectious disease modeling for public health practice: projections, scenarios, and uncertainty in three phases of outbreak response

This paper presents a practical toolkit and conceptual guide developed by the Insight Net Modeling Guidance for Public Health Working Group, which uses early COVID-19 data from Michigan to demonstrate how to generate transparent, evidence-backed scenario projections with quantified uncertainty across three critical phases of outbreak response to better support public health decision-making.

Brouwer, A. F., Eisenberg, M. C., Dean, N. E., Hochheiser, H., Huang, P., Coyle, J. R., Rennert, L.2026-02-05
📊 epidemiology

Exposure to Anti-Tobacco Messages and Its Association with Tobacco Use Among Zambian Adolescents: Analysis of the 2021 Global Youth Tobacco Survey

An analysis of the 2021 Global Youth Tobacco Survey reveals that while 61.6% of Zambian adolescents are exposed to anti-tobacco messages primarily through mass media and schools, this exposure is significantly influenced by social and household factors, with male adolescents and those in smoking-affected environments showing distinct patterns of reach.

Mokhola, D. E., Ng'ambi, W. F., Adoration, C., Zyambo, C.2026-02-05
📊 epidemiology

State of play in individual participant data meta-analyses of randomised trials: Systematic review and consensus-based recommendations

This systematic review and consensus study evaluates the current landscape and methodological practices of 605 individual participant data (IPD) meta-analyses of randomised trials, identifying persistent shortcomings in transparency and data utilization while providing expert recommendations to enhance future research quality and clinical decision-making.

Seidler, A. L., Aagerup, J., Nicholson, L., Hunter, K., Bajpai, R., Hamilton, D., Love, T., Marlin, N., Nguyen, D., Rile (…)2026-02-04
📊 epidemiology

Study protocol: Lead exposure, diet, and cognitive development among school-age children in Guayaquil, Ecuador

This cross-sectional study protocol outlines a plan to evaluate the association between lead accumulation in tooth enamel, cognitive performance, and dietary patterns among 384 school-age children in Guayaquil, Ecuador, using stratified sampling, dental biopsies, the WISC-V intelligence test, and a validated food frequency questionnaire.

Armijos Briones, M., Iturralde Brinkmann, E., Crespo Parraga, D. M., Uscocovich Jimenez, P. A., Tinoco-Caicedo, D., Call (…)2026-01-30
📊 epidemiology

Data-driven profiling of accelerometer-determined physical behaviors and health outcomes in adults: A systematic review

This systematic review synthesizes evidence from 40 studies demonstrating that data-driven population segmentation analysis, particularly using K-means clustering and latent profile analysis, effectively identifies distinct accelerometer-derived physical behavior profiles in adults and reveals their preliminary associations with various health outcomes.

Farrahi, V., Farhang, E.2026-01-29
📊 epidemiology

Proteomic biomarkers of cognitive function, APOE ε4 status, and dementia in Generation Scotland

This study utilizes untargeted mass spectrometry in the Generation Scotland cohort to identify specific blood-based proteomic biomarkers associated with cognitive function, APOE ε4 status, and reduced risk of incident dementia, highlighting selenoprotein P, afamin, and complement proteins as promising candidates for future replication and early detection efforts.

Smith, H. M., Moodie, J. E., Davies, G., Richmond, A., Robertson, J. A., Chybowska, A. D., Drake, C., Adkin, P., Vernard (…)2026-01-29