chapter 3

Question 1

epidemiology

Answer 1

study of distribution and detrimants of health-related states or events in specified population

Question 2

epidemic

Answer 2

unexpectedly large number of cases of an illness, specific health-related behavior, or event in a particular population

Question 3

endemic

Answer 3

disease that occurs regulary in a population as a matter of course.

Question 4

pandemic

Answer 4

outbreak over wide geographic area

Question 5

physicians, clinics, and hospitals required to report births, deaths, and ……?

Answer 5

notifiable diseases - inectious diseases for which health officials request or require reporting, can become epidemics.

Question 6

how are notifiable diseases reported to the CDC?

Answer 6

via National Electronic Telecommunications System (NETS)

Question 7

mortality statistics

Answer 7

most reliable measure of population health status

Question 8

leading cause of death…

Answer 8

from the 20th and 21st century has shifted from communicable diseases to noncommunicable diseases.

Question 9

life expectancy

Answer 9

average number of years a person from a specific cohort is projected to live from a given point in time.
- statisticians concerned with life expectancy at birth, 65, and 75
- women live longer than men
- life expectancy from age 65-75

Question 10

years of potential life lost

Answer 10

numbers of years lost when death occurs before one’s life expectancy
- age 75 often used in calculations
- weighs death of young person as counting more than old person

Question 11

primary vs secondary data

Answer 11

primary data - data collected first hand
secondary data - data collected by someone else, possibly for another purpose
- useful in planning of public health programs and facilities.

Question 12

u.s census

Answer 12

• started in 1790
• taken every 10 years
• gathers data on race, age, income, employment, education, dwelling type, other.

secondary data

Question 13

vital statistics report

Answer 13

summaries of records of major life events: birth, death, marriage, divorce, infant death.
- published by national center for health statistics under the CDC
- also calculates death rates by race and age
- selected issues provide mortality data.

secondary data

Question 14

morbidity and mortality weekly report

Answer 14

• prepared by CDC from state health department reports
• reports morbidity and mortality data by state and region of the U.S
• reports outbreaks of disease, enviornmental hazards, unusual cases, or other public health problems.

Question 15

national health survey act of 1956

Answer 15

three types of surveys
- health interviews
- clinical tests, measurements, and physical examinations.
- survey of places where people recieve medical care.

Question 16

name some health care surveys

Answer 16

1. National Health Interview Survey
   - conducted by NCHS
   - questions respondents about their health
2. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
   - assess health and nutrition status through mobile examination center
3. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Systemm (BRFSS) + Youth Behavioral Risk Surveillance System
   - state-based telephone survey of the civilian adult population or youth population.
4. National Health Care Survey
   - gathers information on nation’s health care system

Question 17

experimental studies

Answer 17

• carried out to identify cause of disease or determine effectiveness of vaccine, drug, or procedure
  1. necessary to prove saftey and efficiency of drug
  2. they use placebo, randomization, blinding, double blind trial.
  3. control the variable, use of treatment and control groups, randomization and blinding insure objectivity and avoid bias in experimental studies

Question 18

incidence rate

Answer 18

the number of new health-related events or causes of a diseases divided by the total number in the population at risk

Question 19

attack rate

Answer 19

an incidence rate calculated for a particular population for a single disease outbreak and expressed as a percentage.

Question 20

prevalence rate

Answer 20

the number of new and old cases of a disease in a population in a given period of time, divided by the total number in that population