ABSTRACT
In this book we have sought to provide some insight into how one might conceptualise the statistical problems encountered in epidemiology using practical examples that prevail in contemporary epidemiological research. Some of the focus has been related to lifecourse epidemiology, as this is the main area of research that interests both authors. However, from a more heuristic statistical viewpoint, it could be said that the main focus has been somewhat that of the evaluation of the effects caused by environmental exposure and interventions within a non-randomised, that is, observational, setting. It is the often challenging setting of observational research where context becomes key, since, in the absence of experiments, confounding and many other potentially distorting in£uences can operate to affect the statistical interpretation central to addressing research questions. It is the emphasis on this problem, that is, the interpretation of empirical research evidence, the need to respect and therefore re£ect upon context, per se and the need to consider carefully all implications and limitations of the statistical methods used in observational research that we have dedicated this book to.
