Ch. 7 Practice Questions

An educational offering about wearing seat belts is presented in the community. This is an example of: A. primary prevention. B. secondary prevention. C. tertiary prevention. D. health maintenance.

A Primary prevention is aimed at altering the susceptibility or reducing the exposure of persons who are at risk for developing a specific disease. Providing an educational offering about wearing seat belts meets the criteria for primary prevention because it is aimed at reducing the exposure of persons to injury. Secondary prevention is aimed at early detection and prompt treatment either to cure a disease as early as possible or slow its progression and prevent disability or complications. Tertiary prevention is aimed at limiting disability in persons in the early stages of disease and at performing rehabilitation for persons who have experienced a loss of function resulting from a disease process or injury. Health maintenance focuses on staying at a certain level of health rather than improving it.

It has been reported that 20% of the population may develop heart disease during their lifetime. This is an example of a(n): A. incidence rate. B. prevalence rate. C. mortality rate. D. morbidity rate.

A The incidence rate is the rate at which a specific disease develops in a population. The example that 20% of the population may develop heart disease during their lifetime demonstrates an incidence rate. The prevalence rate is all of the existing cases at a given point of time. Because this statement reflects "during their lifetime" rather than a given point in time, it does not reflect a prevalence rate. The mortality rate reflects the death rate. The morbidity rate reflects the illness rate. This statement does not reflect an incidence of illness related to heart disease.

Cohort—

A group of people who share similar characteristics.

Tertiary prevention—

A level of preventive medicine in which the long-term effects of an illness or disability are eliminated or reduced in the early stages of disease and in which persons who have experienced a loss of function as a result of a disease process or injury undergo rehabilitation.

Secondary prevention—

A level of preventive medicine that focuses on treating illness. It is aimed at early detection and prompt treatment either to cure a disease as early as possible or to slow its progression and prevent disability or complications. Screening is an example of a major secondary prevention strategy.

The epidemiological triangle includes (select all that apply): A. person. B. causative agent. C. environment. D. underlying factors, disease, and symptoms. E. environment, nursing, and person. F. causative agent, disease, and treatment.

ABC The person, the causative agent, and the environment are the three factors involved in the epidemiological triangle

Which statement describes the infant mortality rate? A. The rate is gradually increasing in the United States. B. The rate is used to determine the overall improvement in health. C. The rate is similar between majority and minority populations. D. The rate in the United States is the lowest in the world.

B The infant mortality rate is used in determining the overall improvement in health in the United States; it is also used in making comparisons with international rates. Traditionally, the high rate of infant mortality has been viewed as an indicator of unmet health needs and unfavorable environmental conditions. The infant mortality rate has steadily declined. There is quite a large disparity between minority and majority populations in relation to infant mortality rate. White infant mortality rate was 5.7 per 1000 live births, compared with 14 per 1000 live births for black infants. The United States infant mortality rate is still higher than that of other industrial countries.

The morbidity rate relates to the: A. life expectancy of an individual. B. incidence of illness in a population. C. cause of death in a population. D. number of people who die from a disease.

B The morbidity rate relates to the incidence of illness in a population. It includes measures related to specific symptoms of a disease, days lost from work, and number of clinic visits. Morbidity rate reflects the frequency of illness, symptoms of disease, lost days of work, and number of clinic visits. It does not reflect an individual's life expectancy. The cause of death and number of people who die from a disease are reflected in the mortality (death) rates.

Causative Agent:

Biological, physical, chemical pathogen

Morbidity/mortality during pregnancy/infancy

Infant mortality rate as indicator of health & environmental conditions

Epidemiology is: A. part of the nursing process for community health nurses. B. used to examine the incidence of communicable diseases. C. used to understand and explain how and why health and illness occur. D. important in determining the prevalence of chronic diseases.

C Epidemiology is used to understand and explain how and why health and illness occur. Nursing and medicine use these concepts to help guide clinical practice and influence health outcomes. Epidemiology is a discipline that provides the structure for systematically studying the distribution and determinants of health, disease, and conditions related to health status. Epidemiology may be used as nurses work through the nursing process, but it is not part of the nursing process. Epidemiology looks at both chronic and communicable diseases and is used to understand and explain how and why health and illness occur.

Which is an example of a vital statistic? A. Incidence rate of cancer B. Prevalence rate of heart disease C. Infant mortality rate D. Morbidity rate from heart attack

C Vital statistics is the term used for the data collected from the ongoing registration of vital events, such as death certificates, birth certificates, and marriage certificates. Infant mortality rate is the only indicator that could be gathered from one of these vital documents. The incidence rate of cancer, the prevalence rate of heart disease, and the morbidity rate from heart attacks are statistics related to population health, but are not considered vital statistics.

An appropriate question for a community health nurse to ask when conducting an assessment at the population level would be: A. "How old are you?" B. "Where do you live?" C. "What chronic diseases do you have?" D. "Where are the areas for recreational activity?"

D "Where are the areas for recreational activity?" asks a question at the population level. The emphasis is placed on what makes a healthy community rather than focusing on individual assessment information. Asking about age, specific location, and personal illness relates to the individual. It would be difficult to find out any information about the population by asking these questions

An analytic study may be used to: A. describe the amount of disease within a population. B. manipulate variables believed to influence a population's health. C. determine the effectiveness of a new drug. D. answer questions about cause-and-effect relationships.

D Analytic studies use observational methodology, so that the cause-and-effect relationship may be studied. Descriptive studies are used to describe the amount of a disease within a population. Analytic studies allow things to occur rather than trying to manipulate variables before an occurrence. Experimental trials are used to further confirm cause and effect, such as determining the effectiveness of a new drug.

The leading cause of death in the United States is: A. pneumonia. B. cancer. C. stroke. D. heart disease.

D Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, followed by cancer, cerebrovascular diseases, and chronic lower respiratory diseases.

Health information systems—.

Data collection systems for gathering health statistics and other health-related information at the population level, including vital statistics, surveillance, surveys, and records

Health Promotion:

Health teaching and counseling to promote healthy living and lifestyles

Epidemic—

Infection affecting a large number of people at the same time.

Analytic studies—

Studies that answer questions about cause-and-effect relationships between potential risk factors and a specific health phenomenon or disease condition.

Case-control studies—

Studies that are retrospective in timing because the study begins after the health outcome has already occurred; researchers select a group of case subjects with a known disease or health outcome and compare them with a group of control subjects who do not have the disease or health outcome.

Descriptive studies—

Studies with a focus on the amount and distribution of disease within a population.

Primary prevention—

Such promotion, aimed at altering the susceptibility or reducing the exposure of persons who are at risk for developing a specific disease.

Vital statistics—

The data collected from the ongoing registration of vital events, such as death certificates, birth certificates, and marriage certificates that occur over a period of time within a population.

Prevalence—

The measure all of the existing cases at a given time. Prevalence includes the incidence (new cases) and all existing cases

Surveillance—

The ongoing systematic collection, analysis, and dissemination of health information for the purpose of monitoring and containing specific, primarily contagious, diseases.

Epidemiology—

The systematic study of health, disease, and conditions related to health status.

Experimental trials—

Trials that begin with carefully designed questions, hypotheses, and research protocols that specify the criteria for selection of the people (subjects) to be studied, the procedures for random assignment of the experimental and control groups, the treatment procedure, the follow-up of subjects, and the details of the data analyses.

Specific Protection:

immunizations, removal of environmental dangers protection rom ultraviolet rays, proper use of care safety seats for infants and children