1. What is Prevalence?

Prevalence measures the proportion of a population found to have a condition. It's a key metric in epidemiology that helps understand disease burden at a specific point in time.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the prevalence equation:

Where:

• Number of Positive Cases — Count of individuals with the condition
• Total Population — Size of the population being studied

Explanation: Prevalence is typically expressed as a percentage by multiplying the result by 100.

3. Importance of Prevalence Calculation

Details: Prevalence helps public health officials understand disease burden, allocate resources, and evaluate intervention effectiveness. It differs from incidence, which measures new cases over time.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter the number of positive cases and total population size. Both values must be positive numbers, and cases cannot exceed total population.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What's the difference between prevalence and incidence?
A: Prevalence measures total existing cases at a point in time, while incidence measures new cases during a time period.

Q2: What are typical prevalence values?
A: Prevalence varies widely by condition. Common diseases may have prevalence >10%, while rare diseases might be <0.1%.

Q3: When is point prevalence vs period prevalence used?
A: Point prevalence measures cases at a specific time, while period prevalence measures cases during a time interval.

Q4: How does prevalence relate to disease burden?
A: Higher prevalence generally indicates greater population disease burden, though severity also matters.

Q5: Can prevalence be greater than 1 (or 100%)?
A: No, since it's a proportion of the population, maximum possible is 1 (100%).