Popular Epidemiology Revisited

Abstract

The concept of popular epidemiology is updated by examining it as a form of citizen science and a type of social movement. As a citizen science, popular epidemiology is a lay way of knowing that is based in part on an appropriation of expert knowledge by non-experts. As a social movement, popular epidemiology is a mobilization of citizens around the goal of identifying and ameliorating environmental stressors and local illness patterns. The updated concept of popular epidemiology shows the important influences of the environmental justice movement and of critical epidemiology among professional epidemiologists. Case study materials are provided to illustrate arguments.