What field of study focuses on how diseases impact health in populations?

Epidemiology is the field of study that investigates how diseases affect health within populations. This discipline examines the distribution, determinants, and potential control of health-related conditions or events in specified populations. Epidemiologists look at patterns of disease occurrence in different groups, identify risk factors, and analyze trends over time to help manage and prevent health crises.

In contrast, anatomy focuses on the structure of organisms, pharmacology studies drugs and their effects on the body, while pathology is concerned with the causes and effects of diseases at a tissue and cellular level. These fields, while important to understanding health and disease, do not specifically target the population-level impacts that are central to epidemiology.