PUBH Final Exam

What is one of the widely used sources of statistical data on cancer? A. Vital statistics B. Hospital clinic statistics C. Disease registries D. Special survey studies

C. Disease registries

Which of the following activities characterizes an epidemiologic approach (as opposed to a clinical approach)? A. Description of a single individual's symptoms B. Treatment of a patient with diagnosed illness C. Surveillance of a population D. A and C

C. Surveillance of a population

Descriptive epidemiology has the following characteristics: (Choose the incorrect option.) A. allows comparisons by age, sex, and race.. B. identifies problems to be studied by analytic methods. C. allows causal inference from descriptive data. D. provides the basis for planning and evaluation of health services. E. uses case reports, case series, and cross-sectional studies.

C. allows causal inference from descriptive data.

John Snow, in Snow on Cholera A. was the father of modern biostatistics. B. argued that the environment was associated with diseases such as malaria. C. was an early epidemiologist who used natural experiments. D. established postulates for transmission of infectious disease.

C. was an early epidemiologist who used natural experiments.

Which form of prevention takes place after the precursors of disease interact with the host? A. Both Tertiary and Secondary B. Tertiary C. Primary D. Secondary

A. Both Tertiary and Secondary

Which of the following activities characterizes a clinical approach (as opposed to an epidemiologic approach)? A. Description of specific signs and symptoms in a patient B. Examination of disease occurrence among population groups C. Description of seasonal trends in disease occurrence D. Demonstration of geographic variations in disease frequency

A. Description of specific signs and symptoms in a patient

The fundamental tool for etiologic studies of both acute and chronic diseases: A. This is use primarily for incidence data. B. This application could apply equally for both incidence and prevalence data. C. This is a use for neither incidence data nor prevalence data. D. This is a use primarily for prevalence data.

A. This is use primarily for incidence data.

The major disadvantage of crude rates is that: A. they do not permit comparison of populations that vary in composition. B. they are difficult to calculate from available data sources. C. all of the above D. they may not allow for comparison of populations that differ in size.

A. they do not permit comparison of populations that vary in composition.

Examples of exposure data in ecologic studies include: A. Per capita income B. All of the above C. Smoking prevalence D. Per capita calorie intake E. Mean ambient temperatures

B. All of the above

Which of Mill's four canons suggests that there is an association between frequency of disease and the potency of a causative factor? A. The illness is associated with increases in creative talents, which contribute to wealth-enhancing achievements. B. Concomitant variation C. The illness leads to the clustering of psychosis in the impoverished areas of a city. D. The conditions of life in upper-class society favor its development.

B. Concomitant variation

The use of GIS may be thought of as following the heritage of: A. Koch B. Snow C. Semmelweis D. Gaunt

B. Snow

Which of the following is not usually an aim of epidemiology? A. To predict the occurrence of disease B. To fund new public health programs C. To control the distribution of disease D. To describe the health status of the population E. To explain the etiology of disease

B. To fund new public health programs

Identify the incorrect option. Case clustering: A. suggests common exposure of a group of people to an etiologic agent B. is called temporal clustering for geographic concentrations of cases C. has been shown for angiosarcoma and vaginal carcinoma D. is of indeterminate significance for rare diseases, because clusters may occur by chance alone

B. is called temporal clustering for geographic concentrations of cases

Blood pressure measurements on adult males 30-39 years of age were obtained in a survey of a representative sample of Twin Cities households. To compare the frequency of hypertension in the white and non-white population surveyed, the most appropriate measure is the: A. race-specific incidence rate B. race-specific prevalence C. prevalence D. incidence rate

B. race-specific prevalence

Descriptive epidemiology characterizes the amount and distribution of disease within a population and enables the researcher to: A. make direct tests of etiologic hypotheses B. evaluate trends in health and disease within a population C. generate testable hypotheses regarding etiology D. B and C only

D. B and C only

The Vital Statistics Registration System in the U.S. collects data on all vital events including: A. Births B. Deaths & Fetal Deaths C. Deaths D. Births, Deaths, & Fetal Deaths

D. Births, Deaths, & Fetal Deaths

The best routinely available sources of data regarding the incidence of respiratory disease outbreaks and other rapidly spreading conditions are: A. death certificates B. case registries. C. hospital records D. reports of absenteeism from work and school

D. reports of absenteeism from work and school

Studies of nativity and migration have reported that: A. immunization programs in developing countries have been highly successful B. admission rates of foreign-born persons to mental hospitals were lower than for native-born persons C. diseases found in less developed regions are no longer a problem in the United States D. some migrants have inadequate immunization status with respect to vaccine-preventable diseases

D. some migrants have inadequate immunization status with respect to vaccine-preventable diseases

The Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) is responsible for (give the best answer): A. printing epidemiologic reports for members of the community B. reporting suspicious bioterrorism agents to governmental agencies. C. collecting routine epidemiologic data for local health departments. D. tracking down disease outbreaks in the United States and foreign countries.

D. tracking down disease outbreaks in the United States and foreign countries.

John Snow is credited with developing the smallpox vaccination.

False

Socrates popularized the notion that the environment is associated with human disease.

False

Environmental and occupational health problems are a specialization of epidemiology.

True

John Gaunt is known as the Columbus of biostatistics .

True

Molecular epidemiology applies the techniques of molecular biology to epidemiologic studies.

True

One of William Farr's contributions to public health and epidemiology included the development of a more sophisticated system for codifying medical conditions.

True

One of three main purposes of descriptive epidemiology is to aid in the creation of hypotheses.

True

The 1918 Influenza Pandemic is also known as "the Mother of All Pandemics."

True

The Framingham Heart Study, begun in 1948, pioneered research into coronary heart disease risk factors.

True

The crude death rate is defined as the number of deaths in a given year divided by a reference population (during mid-point of the year) times 100,000.

True

The epidemiological and clinical descriptions of a disease are different?

True

The incidence rate of a disease is defined as the number of new cases of the disease over a time period divided by the total population (at risk) during the same time period times a multiplier (e.g. 100,000).

True

The point prevalence of a disease is defined as the number of persons ill divided by the total number in the group at a point in time.

True

The proportional mortality ratio (%) is defined as the mortality due to a specific cause during a time period divided by the mortality due to all causes during the same time period times 100.

True

The term health disparities refers to differences in health outcomes (e.g., mortality and burden of disease) that are closely linked with social, economic, and environmental disadvantage.

True

The three categories of descriptive epidemiologic variables are person, place, and time.

True