ArticleInternational journal of epidemiology2020
Educational note: types of causes.
Article in International journal of epidemiology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Confounding adjustment in observational studies on cardiothoracic interventions: a systematic review of methodological practice.European journal of cardio-thoracic surgery : official journal of the European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery · 2023Pooled it
- The interventionist approach can address questions related to causes of effects if causes are considered as states instead of interventions.Observational studies · 2025Article
- On the evolution of concepts of causal and preventive interdependence in epidemiology in the late 20European journal of epidemiology · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
Abstract
We explore the different types of causes that are commonly investigated by epidemiologists. We first distinguish between causes which are events (including actions) and causes which are states. Second, we distinguish between modifiable and non-modifiable states. This yields three types of causes: fixed states (non-modifiable), dynamic states (modifiable) and events (including actions). Different causes may have different characteristics: the methods available to study them, the types of possible biases, and therefore the types of evidence needed to infer causality, may differ according to the specific cause-effect relationship under study. Nevertheless, there are also substantial commonalities. This paper is intended to improve understanding of the different types of causes, and the different types of causality, that underpin epidemiological practice.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.