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Epidemiological Methods for Headache Studies

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Societal Impact of Headache

Part of the book series: Headache ((HEAD))

Abstract

Headache epidemiological studies are important for documenting the size of the public-health problem that is due to headache, for informing the provision of health services for headache and for research into headache causes and risk factors that may help prevent or alleviate headache disorders. Many such studies have been performed, but their results are often difficult to compare because of widely differing methods. Standardization of methodology is highly desirable, as are recommendations for improvement: much money and human resources can be squandered when the methodology is poor, or when an otherwise good study is reported inadequately.

In remedy, methodological guidelines for headache epidemiological studies were published in 2014 by a globally representative group of experts, under the auspices of the Global Campaign against Headache and with support from the International Headache Society. This chapter is based on these guidelines. It covers ethical aspects, defines key epidemiological concepts and discusses, at length, methodological issues around study design, sample selection, accessing and engaging participants, study instruments, diagnosis of headache types (and validation of the diagnostic method) and sources of error.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neuromedicine and Movement Science, NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway

    Lars Jacob Stovner & Timothy J. Steiner

  2. Norwegian Advisory Unit on Headaches, Department of Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology, St Olavs University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway

    Lars Jacob Stovner

  3. Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK

    Timothy J. Steiner

Authors
  1. Lars Jacob Stovner
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  2. Timothy J. Steiner
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Correspondence to Lars Jacob Stovner .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neuromedicine and Movement Science, NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway

    Timothy J. Steiner

  2. Department of Neuromedicine and Movement Science, NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway

    Lars Jacob Stovner

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Stovner, L.J., Steiner, T.J. (2019). Epidemiological Methods for Headache Studies. In: Steiner, T., Stovner, L. (eds) Societal Impact of Headache. Headache. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24728-7_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24728-7_6

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-24726-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-24728-7

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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