The role of environmental epidemiology in its disciplinary development

Introduction: Despite past contributions to health sciences, epidemiology has not extensively developed particular theories to help provide, as has been requested, the scientific bases for the public health practice. However, when environmental epidemiology studies and intervenes environmental and health problems, it has needed the rethinking of its discipline tasks, along with its sense and perspectives. Objectives: This paper arises from the practice of environmental epidemiology and seeks to justify how the practice of epidemiology can contribute to develop disciplinary thinking. Conclusions: Issues to be developed in epidemiology are: focus on exposures, interdisciplinary work, investigation of systemic roots of problems and their consequences, integration of community points of view in research, connection of health problems to related economic and policy processes, and make visible the inequity problems.