Potential Exam Qs

Question 1

What term in epidemiology is used to refer to a set of criteria used in making a decision as to whether an individual has a disease or health event of interest and can either be confirmed, possible or probable?

Answer 1

Case Definition

Question 2

What important component of descriptive epidemiology is used to refer to the progress of a disease process in an individual over time,in the absence of intervention or treatment?

Answer 2

Natural History of Disease

Question 3

Screening is an important element of public health practice.What disease is screened using a purified protein derivative (PPD)?

Answer 3

Tuberculosis (TB)

Question 4

When selecting a study design,a number of questions have to be asked.Which of the following is not one of the questions considered when choosing a study design?
A.What is the unit of study?
B.Which individuals are smokers,and which ones are not?
C.What is the directionality of exposure?
D.Who manipulates the exposure variables?

Answer 4

B

Question 5

Prevalence and incidence are positively correlated variables. The incidence and duration determine the prevalence of a health condition. Which of the following factors does not impact the prevalence of a health condition?
A. The availability of treatment.
B. The availability of epidemiological studies. C. The migration of healthy individuals into or out of the population. D. The number of deaths from the health condition.

Answer 5

B

Question 6

A cohort study investigating the effect of chemical X on a disease was planned to run for 5 years.After 3 years enough cases were observed which were compared to controls .What type of study was that?
A. Retrospective cohort study
B. Nested cohort study C. Historical prospective study
D.Nested Case control study

Answer 6

D

Question 7

What term is used to describe the fact that a vaccine not only protects the vaccinated individual but also prevents that person from transmitting the disease to others? A. Immunization
B. Vaccination
C. Herd Immunity
D. Prophylaxis

Answer 7

C

Question 8

This is required for a disease to occur; an example is exposure to the human immunodeficiency virus before the development of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome: A. Necessary cause B. Risk factor
C. Determinant of health D. Sufficient cause

Answer 8

A

Question 9

Which important infectious disease is treated using the combination of isoniazid,rifapentine and rifampicin?

Answer 9

Tuberculosis

Question 10

Describe SNOUT

Answer 10

A test with a high sensitivity rules out those WITHOUT the disease since a test which is more likely to find those with a disease (including false positive) must enable us to confidently say those without the disease indeed do not have it.

Question 11

Describe SPIN

Answer 11

A test with a high specificity rules in those WITH the disease since a test which is more likely to find those without a disease (including false negatives) must enable us to confidently say those with the disease indeed have it (SPIN

Question 12

What is special about sensitivity and specificity?

Answer 12

Sensitivity and specificity are inherent properties of a test and are INDEPENDENT of the prevalence of the disease.

Question 13

Define test’s worth

Answer 13

The ability of a test to predict the presence or absence of a disease.

Question 14

What is a descriptive epidemiology all about

Answer 14

Person (who)
Place (where)
Time (when)

Question 15

List the general steps in cross sectional studies

Answer 15

•participants recruited based on inclusion and exclusion criteria
•study the exposure and outcome at the same time
•estimate the prevalence (of outcome and exposure as well).Calculate odds ratio.