This document contains 30 multiple choice questions from an epidemiology midterm exam. The questions cover a range of epidemiology topics including aims of epidemiology, clinical vs epidemiological approaches, levels of disease prevention, uses of incidence and prevalence data, and descriptive epidemiology.

1. HSA 535 Mid Term Part 2 (All are correct)
QUESTIONHSA 535 Mid Term Part 2 (All are correct)Question 1Which of the following is
not usually an aim of epidemiology?AnswerTo describe the health status of the
populationTo fund new public health programsTo explain the etiology of diseaseTo predict
the occurrence of diseaseTo control the distribution of diseaseQuestion 2Which of the
following activities characterizes a clinical approach (as opposed to an epidemiologic
approach)?AnswerDescription of specific signs and symptoms in a patientDescription of
seasonal trends in disease occurrenceExamination of disease occurrence among population
groupsDemonstration of geographic variations in disease frequencyQuestion 3Which of the
following activities characterizes an epidemiologic approach (as opposed to a clinical
approach)?AnswerDescription of a single individual’s symptomsSurveillance of a
populationTreatment of a patient with diagnosed illnessA and CQuestion 4The Epidemic
Intelligence Service (EIS) is responsible for (give the best answer):Answertracking down
unusual disease outbreaks in the United States and foreign countries.collecting routine
epidemiologic data for local health departments.printing epidemiologic reports for
members of the community.reporting suspicious bioterrorism agents to governmental
agencies.Question 5Cyclic variations in the occurrence of pneumonia and influenza
mortality may reflect:Answerseasonal variations in cases of influenza.the fact that influenza
is a disappearing disorder.long-term changes in mortality trends.both A and BQuestion
6John Snow, author of Snow on Cholera:Answerwas the father of modern
biostatistics.established postulates for transmission of infectious disease.was an early
epidemiologist who used natural experiments.argued that the environment was associated
with diseases such as malaria.Question 7In the Yearly Mortality Bill for 1632, consumption
referred to:AnswerdysenterytuberculosissmallpoxedemaQuestion 8Indicate the level of
prevention that is represented by nutritional counseling for pregnant women
AnswerPrimary Prevention ActivePrimary Prevention PassiveSecondary
PreventionTertiary PreventionQuestion 9In 1900, the death rate per 100,000 members of
the population for influenza and pneumonia (I & P) was 202.2; it was 22.4 in 2003. How
much did the death rate due to I & P decline?Answer100%1000%90%9000%Question
10Indicate the level of prevention that is represented by screening for breast
cancerAnswerPrimary Prevention ActivePrimary Prevention PassiveSecondary
PreventionTertiary PreventionQuestion 11Using epidemiology for operational research
involves:Answerstudy of community health servicesstudy of risks to the individualstudy of
disease syndromesstudy of disease symptomsQuestion 12The difference between primary

2. and secondary prevention of disease is:Answerprimary prevention means control of causal
factors, while secondary prevention means control of symptoms.primary prevention means
control of acute disease, while secondary prevention means control of chronic
disease.primary prevention means control of causal factors, while secondary prevention
means early detection and treatment of disease.primary prevention means increasing
resistance to disease, while secondary prevention means decreasing exposure to
disease.Question 13Indicate the level of prevention that is represented by half-way houses
for persons recovering from addictionAnswerPrimary Prevention ActivePrimary
Prevention PassiveSecondary PreventionTertiary PreventionQuestion 14Indicate the level
of prevention that is represented by pasteurization of milkAnswerPrimary Prevention
ActivePrimary Prevention PassiveSecondary PreventionTertiary PreventionQuestion 15An
epidemiologic survey of roller-skating injuries in Metroville, a city with a population of
100,000 (during the midpoint of the year), produced the following data for a particular
year:Number of skaters in Metroville during any given month 12,000 Roller-skating injuries
in Metroville 600 Total number of residents injured from roller-skating 1,800 Total number
of deaths from roller-skating 90 Total number of deaths from all causes 900The cause-
specific mortality rate from roller-skating was:Answer90/600 × 100,00090/100,000 ×
100,00090/1,800 × 100,00090/900 × 100,000Question 16Blood 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: Answerincidence
rateprevalencerace-specific incidence raterace-specific prevalencerace-specific age-
adjusted prevalence Question 17Determining workload and planning the scope of facilities
and manpower needs, particularly for chronic disease. Is this a use for incidence or
prevalence data? AnswerThis is a use primarily for incidence data.This is a use primarily for
prevalence data.This application could apply equally for both incidence and prevalence
data.This is a use for neither incidence data nor prevalence data.Question 18Estimating the
frequency of exposure. Is this a use for incidence or prevalence data?AnswerThis is a use
primarily for incidence data.This is a use primarily for prevalence data.This application
could apply equally for both incidence and prevalence data.This is a use for neither
incidence data nor prevalence data.Question 19The risk of acquiring a given disease during
a time period is best determined by: Answerthe mortality rate from that disease in the 0-4
age group.a spot map that records all cases of the disease in the past year.the period
prevalence for that disease during the past year.the incidence rate (cumulative incidence)
for that disease in a given period of time.Question 20To express the burden or extent of
some condition or attribute in a population. Is this a use for incidence or prevalence
data?AnswerThis is a use primarily for incidence data.This is a use primarily for prevalence
data.This application could apply equally for both incidence and prevalence data.This is a
use for neither incidence data nor prevalence data.Question 21The fundamental tool for
etiologic studies of both acute and chronic diseases. Is this a use for incidence or prevalence
data?AnswerThis is a use primarily for incidence data.This is a use primarily for prevalence
data.This application could apply equally for both incidence and prevalence data.This is a
use for neither incidence data nor prevalence data.Question 22Beach City has a rising

3. population of 500,000 robust, fertile males and 450,000 robust, fertile females. If there
were 4,000 live births, 3 fetal deaths, and 40 maternal deaths, what is the crude birth
rate?Answer4,000/500,000 × 1,0004,000/450,000 × 1,0004,000/950,000 ×
1,0004,003/950,000 × 1,0003,997/950,000 × 1,000Question 23Age-specific and age-
adjusted mortality rates by sex in the United States generally show the following sex
differences:AnswerRates for males are higher than rates for females from birth to age 85
and older.Rates for females are higher than rates for males from birth to age 85 and
older.Rates for males are higher than rates for females from age 6 to age 85 and older.Rates
for males are equal to rates for females during the first 5 years of life.Question 24A null
hypothesis is most similar to which of the following?AnswerPositive declarationNegative
declarationImplicit questionExplicit questionQuestion 25Reasons for gender differences in
mortality may include:Answergreater risk taking by womengreater frequency of smoking
among menhigher prevalence of coronary-prone behavior among womenless frequency of
smoking among menQuestion 26Lung cancer mortality among women is increasing faster
than among men. What factor(s) would most likely account for this increased cancer
rate?AnswerYounger women are smoking more.Older women are smoking more.Women
are smoking less.Men are smoking more Question 27Descriptive epidemiology has the
following characteristics (Choose the incorrect option): Answerprovides the basis for
planning and evaluation of health services.allows causal inference from descriptive
data.allows comparisons by age, sex, and race.uses case reports, case series, and cross-
sectional studies.identifies problems to be studied by analytic methods.Question 28Studies
of nativity and migration have reported that:Answeradmission rates of foreign-born
persons to mental hospitals were lower than for native-born personsdiseases found in less
developed regions are no longer a problem in the United Statesimmunization programs in
developing countries have been highly successfulsome migrants have inadequate
immunization status with respect to vaccine-preventable diseasesQuestion 29Which of the
following statements most accurately expresses the downward-drift hypothesis for
schizophrenia?AnswerThe conditions of life in lower-class society favor its
development.The conditions of life in upper-class society favor its development.The illness
leads to the clustering of psychosis in the impoverished areas of a city.The illness is
associated with increases in creative talents, which contribute to wealth-enhancing
achievements.Question 30Which of Mill’s four canons suggests that there is an association
between frequency of disease and the potency of a causative
factor?AnswerDifferenceAgreementConcomitant variationResidues