Exam 1 Review Questions Flashcards
True or False? An ecologic study is one that examines a group as the unit of analysis.
True
Which of the following is true about the limitations of environmental epidemiology?
A.
Accurate assessment of exposure is difficult.
B.
Environmentally associated diseases often have low incidence and prevalence.
C.
Long latency periods often occur between initial exposures and disease outcomes.
D.
The effects of exposures are often non-specific.
E.
All of the above.
E. All of the above
Identify the observational design used for hypothesis testing.
A.
Proportionate mortality comparisons
B.
Cohort studies
C.
Counts
D.
Case series
E.
Cross-sectional studies
B. Cohort Studies
A case-control study was conducted to examine whether asthma was related to the presence of cockroach allergens in the home of individuals with asthma and an odds ratio of 6.45 was identified. What conclusion does the odds ratio in this study suggest?
A.
Individuals exposed to cockroach allergens in their homes were more likely to have asthma
B.
Those with asthma are sensitive to cockroach allergens
C.
Asthma creates cockroach allergens
D.
Cockroach allergens are the cause of asthma
E.
No relationship between cockroach allergens and asthma
A. Individuals exposed to cockroach allergens in their homes were more likely to have asthma
True or False? A relative risk of less than 1 means that there is no association between exposure and outcome.
False
In 2010, a community in Mexico recorded 72 cases of H1N1. Within this month, a total of 12 fatal cases of H1N1 occurred. There were other 353 other fatalities. What is the CFR associated with H1N1 during this month in Mexico?
A.
12/75 × 100
B.
4/9 × 100
C.
12/72 × 100
D.
12/353 × 100
E.
4/87 × 100
C. 12/72 x 100
Cohort study is to risk ratio as?
A.
Hippocrates is to medical oaths.
B.
Environment is to genes
C.
Case-control study is to odds ratio.
D.
Winslow Homer is to John Snow.
E.
None of the above
C. Case-control study is to odds ratio.
Epidemiology contributes to environmental health in different ways including?
A.
Concern with populations
B.
Use of observational data
C.
Methodology for study designs
D.
Descriptive and analytic studies
E.
All of the above
E. All of the above
All of the following statements is true about case-control studies except…
A.
Exposure to a factor is determined retrospectively.
B.
They are a type of longitudinal design.
C.
The measure of association is the odds ratio.
D.
Exposure levels may be difficult to quantify precisely.
E.
They can examine many potential exposures.
B. They are a type of longitudinal design.
7500 people in the town of Tick Haven had a clinical diagnosis of lyme disease during the year 2004. 900 out of the 7500 people were newly documented cases of lyme disease. What is the incidence of lyme disease during 2004 in the town of Tick Haven?
A.
900/total population of Tick Haven
B.
7500/total population of Tick Haven
C.
6600/total population of Tick Haven
D.
900/total population with lyme disease
E.
900/total population that died from lyme disease
D. 900/total population with lyme disease
What are “work-horse” organs for metabolism in the body?
A.
Brain
B.
Kidney
C.
Heart
D.
Liver
E.
Both B and D
E. Both B and D
Which of the following is the most rapid exposure route?
A.
Intravenous
B.
Ingestion
C.
Dermal
D.
Intramuscular
E.
Inhalation
A. Intravenous
Dose-response assessment refers to the question of
A.
What are the health effects that this agent can cause?
B.
What is the relationship between dose and occurrence of health effects in humans (or animals)?
C.
What exposures are currently experienced or anticipated under different conditions?
D.
What is the estimated occurrence of the adverse effect in a given population?
E.
None of the above.
B. What is the relationship between dose and occurrence of health effects in humans (or animals)?
What type of combination of two chemicals produces an effect that is equal to their individual effects taken together?
A.
additive
B.
synergistic
C.
potentiative
D.
divisive
E.
multiplicative
A. additive
Compared to the general population, workers may be exposed to toxic chemicals that are
A.
At lower concentrations for longer time periods
B.
At higher concentrations for longer time periods
C.
At lower concentration for shorter time periods
D.
At higher concentrations for shorter time periods
E.
None of the above
B. At higher concentrations for longer time periods
What kinds of information can be established from a dose-response relationship?
A.
Causal association between a toxin and biological effects
B.
Minimum dosages needed to produce a biological effect
C.
Rate of accumulation of harmful effects
D.
All of the above
E.
A & B only
D. All of the above
Direct adverse effects of xenobiotics do not include
A.
Cell replacement
B.
Interference with nutrition
C.
Damage to an enzyme system
D.
Disruption of protein synthesis
E.
DNA damage
B. Interference with nutrition
Which statement is incorrect? Thalidomide is an example of a drug that
A.
Was a potent teratogen
B.
Was developed before the advent of rigorous clinical trials
C.
Was used to treat morning sickness during pregnancy
D.
Was associated with heart problems among adults
E.
None of the above
D. Was associated with heart problems among adults
One of the founders of toxicology was
A.
Socrates
B.
Theophrastus
C.
Claudius
D.
Da Vinci
E.
Paracelsus
E. Paracelsus
True or False After absorption, a chemical will usually migrate away from the tissue where it entered the body system.
True
Which of the following best describes the polluter-pays principle?
A.
A polluter should bear the expense of carrying out pollution prevention and control measures.
B.
A wealthy society with recycling programs shouldn’t pay for waste management
C.
Factories should pay for the health care of people impacted by air pollution
D.
Everyone should receive equal treatment with respect to environmental laws and policies.
E.
None of the above.
A. A polluter should bear the expense of carrying out pollution prevention and control measures.
What problem(s) may be encountered in the agenda setting stage?
A.
Lack of sound scientific data
B.
Inability to assess research information
C.
Poorly defined problems
D.
Lack of government support
E.
Lack of information on risk
A. Lack of sound scientific data
Identify, from the following, a problem that may be encountered in the assessment/evaluation stage?
A.
Lack of sound scientific data
B.
Inability to coordinate and assess research information.
C.
Poorly defined problems
D.
Lack of government support
E.
Lack of information on risk; lack of coordination
A. Lack of sound scientific data
In which of the following ways can the built environment encourage healthy lifestyles?
A.
By widening roads and building highways
B.
By encouraging people to walk or bike more
C.
By building rooftop and community gardens
D.
By co-locating businesses and residences
E.
B through D
E. B through D
In the problem definition stage, one of the following may be a problem faced. Select the appropriate option.
A.
Lack of sound scientific data
B.
Inability to coordinate and assess research information
C.
Poorly defined problems
D.
Lack of government support
E.
Lack of information on risk; lack of coordination
C. Poorly defined problems
The ……………………. is responsible for environmental regulation at the international level. (Fill the blank with one of the following)
A.
EPA
B.
WHO
C.
NIOSH
D.
ATSDR
E.
NIEHS
B. WHO
What problem may be encountered in the policy implementation stage?
A.
Lack of sound scientific data
B.
Inability to coordinate and assess research information
C.
Poorly defined problems
D.
Lack of government support
E.
Lack of information on risk; lack of coordination
D. Lack of government support
Which of the following is not covered under the Endangered Species Act?
A.
Mammals
B.
Crustaceans
C.
Insects
D.
Trees
E.
All are covered
E. All are covered
In conducting a Health Impact Assessment, a person or group requires which of the following?
A.
Completion of certification training
B.
Online coursework
C.
masters of public health degree
D.
medical degree
E.
none of the above
E. none of the above
True or False A state can choose to have air quality standards that are more stringent than the federal air quality standards.
True
Which of the following best describes the 2010 demographic transition of the United States of America?
a.
Stage/Phase 1
b.
Stage/Phase 2
c.
Stage/Phase 3
d.
In between Stage/Phase 1 and 2
e.
In between Stage/Phase 2 and 3
e. In between Stage/Phase 2 and 3
True or False The stable fertility rate is around 2.9 live births per adult.
False
In a community that has not yet made an epidemiological transition (such as a developing nation), one would expect most causes of death to include all of the following except:
a.
heart disease
b.
infectious diseases
c.
tuberculosis
d.
contaminated drinking water
a. heart disease
The ‘Three Ps’ of environmental health science are:
a.
Pollution, Poverty, and Prevention
b.
Pollution, Poverty, and Population
c.
Prevention, Poverty, and Participation
d.
People, Places, and Purpose
e.
Public, participation, and power
b. Pollution, Poverty, and Population
True or False: Though perhaps spurious, there was an association between Civil Engineering PhDs and mozzarella cheese consumption.
True
Suppose we were studying a population that was exposed to benzene, and trying to associate this exposure with a certain cancer. But there was also an independent association between benzene concentrations and acetonitrile concentrations, each of which may cause this specific cancer as well. If we don’t account for acetonitrile (which may also cause this cancer), this is known as what?
a.
Confounding
b.
Relative risk
c.
Regression
d.
Causality
e.
Cross sectional
b. Relative risk
If I tell you that, right now, 100 out of 10,000 people have the flu, which term am I talking about?
a.
Prevalence
b.
Odds ratio
c.
Incidence
d.
Relative Risk
e.
Analytic Epidemiology
a. Prevalence
John Snow is most famous for findings on which of the following diseases?
A Cholera
True or False: There is a distinct pattern of obesity prevalence across the United States
True
Which term best refers to a harmful substance that is naturally derived? For example, harmful substances from mushrooms.
a.
Toxins
b.
Toxicants
c.
Poisons
d.
Toxicity
a. Toxins
True or False: There are four main steps to performing a risk assessment.
True
“All substances are poisons; there is none that is not a poison. The right dose differentiates a poison from a remedy.” Who said this?
Paracelsus
This acronym is a foundation of toxicology.
a.
ADME
b.
ACME
c.
ADCE
d.
ABCE
e.
ABCD
a. ADME
True or False: Individual dose-response is usually about the same as a community dose-response.
True
True or False: Making sure environmental laws are properly applied during a review in the court of law refers to Environmental Justice.
False
What is the name of the principle or idea where we make assumptions about detrimental impacts from new products or compounds based on what we think might happen from related products or compounds?
a.
Precautionary Principle
b.
Polluter-Pays-Principle
c.
Risk Management
d.
Policy Framework
e.
Policy assumptive guidance
a. Precautionary Principle
True or False: Risk Assessment has a role in policy development.
True
This law, first written in 1969, was one of the first major environmental laws at requires the federal government to consider environmental implication of their actions.
a.
National Environmental Policy Act
b.
Clean Drinking Water Act
c.
Toxic Substances Control Act
d.
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
e.
The Superfund Act of 1969
a. National Environmental Policy Act
True or False: The World Health Organizations sets air and water quality standards in the United States, and these are enforced by the US EPA.
False
True or False: The Plague, which killed perhaps 100M people in the middle ages is still causes infections.
True
This disease causes roughly 500,000 deaths per year, most of which are children, and many of which are in Africa.
Malaria
True or False: Viral hemorrhagic fevers are generally nuisance illnesses that are minor and go away on their own.
False
True or False: Malaria primarily affects northern hemisphere countries, including the US and Canada, and across Europe.
False
This disease is caused by an adult worm that releases millions of juvenile worms into human tissues?
a.
Lymphatic filariasis
b.
Lyme disease
c.
The Plague
d.
Leishmaniasis
e.
Malaria
a. Lymphatic filariasis
The Definition Of Emerging Zoonoses Covers?
A.
Only new and unknown agents
B.
Both new and previously known agents
C.
Appearance of agents in regions not usually affected
D.
A and C
E.
B and C
E. B and C
Which is the correct fact about rabies?
A.
Human cases of rabies occur frequently in the United States.
B.
Post-exposure prophylaxis has prevented human rabies successfully.
C.
Outside the United States, the most common vector is domestic animals.
D.
The disease has a low fatality rate in healthy adults.
E.
All of the above.
B. Post-exposure prophylaxis has prevented human rabies successfully.
Which is not an example of a zoonotic disease?
A.
Whooping cough
B.
Rabies
C.
Anthrax
D.
Tularemia
E.
Influenza
A. Whooping cough
What is the vector for dengue fever?
A.
Phlebotomus flies
B.
Aedes Aegypti mosquito
C.
Anopheles mosquito
D.
Ixodes scapularis
E.
Peromyscus maniculatus
B. Aedes Aegypti mosquito
Examples of disease vectors are ?
A.
Sheep and goats
B.
Ticks
C.
Rodents
D.
Sand flies
E.
All of the above
E. All of the above
What is the natural reservoir for plague in the western United States?
A.
House cats
B.
Dogs
C.
Ground squirrels
D.
Migratory birds
E.
All of the above
C. Ground squirrels
Leishmaniasis is endemic to?
A.
The mid-west U.S.
B.
Perth, Australia
C.
The Rocky Mountains
D.
The Middle East
E.
None of the above
D. The Middle East
What causes the most deadly form of malaria ?
A.
P. falciparum
B.
P. vivax
C.
P. anopheles
D.
P. malariae
E.
None of the above
A. P. falciparum
Methods for transmission of zoonotic pathogens include?
A.
Contact with the skin
B.
Bite or scratch of an animal
C.
Direct inhalation
D.
Ingestion of contaminated foods
E.
All of the above
E. All of the above
A scientist was recently awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine for saving 3 million lives from malaria. What drug did they identify?
A.
Avermectin
B.
Artemisinin
C.
Diethylcarbamazine
D.
Doxycycline
E.
Fenbendazole
B. Artemisinin
