Public Health :(

Question 1

What is the definition of health?

Answer 1

A state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing, not merely the absence of disease

Question 2

What are the 3 domains of public health?

Answer 2

Health protection - notifying diseases, contact tracing for STIs
Health improvement - 5 a day, screening
Improving services - audits and recommendations

Question 3

What is a cohort study, advantage and disadvantage?

Answer 3

Longitudinal study in similar groups but different risk factors/ treatments, followed up over time
Allows to identify risk factors but expensive and people drop out

Question 4

What is a case control study, advantage and disasvantage

Answer 4

Observational study looking for cause of disease, looks retrospectively
Quick but prone to selection and information bias

Question 5

What is a cross sectional study, advantage and disadvantage?

Answer 5

Observational study, captures snapshot in time
Large sample size and provides data on risk factors
Risk of reverse causality, what came first?

Question 6

What is an RCT. advantage and disadvantage?

Answer 6

Randomised trial, different arms, control and intervention
Low risk of bias and confounding, comparative
Ethical issues, high drop out rate

Question 7

How to work out number needed to treat?

Answer 7

1/attributable risk

Question 8

What is reverse causality?

Answer 8

Where the outcome influences the exposure

Question 9

3 types of bias?

Answer 9

Selection bias
Information bias - recall, observsation, measurement, reporting biases
Publication bias - negative results less likely to be published

Question 10

What are the Bradford-Hill criteria for causation?

Answer 10

1. Temporality
   2.Dose-response
2. Strength
3. Reversibility
4. Consistency

Question 11

Stages of planning cycle for health services?

Answer 11

Needs assessment
Planning
Implementation
Evaluation

Question 12

Ways of defining health?

Answer 12

Bio-medical - Absence of disease
Psychosocial - stress and function
Lay views - felt and expressed needs

Question 13

What are Bradshaw’s needs?

Answer 13

1. Felt need - individual perceptions of variation from normal health
2. Expressed need - Individual seeks help to overcome variation in normal health (demand)
3. Normative need - Professional defines intervention appropriate for the expressed need
4. Comparative need - Comparison between severity, range of interventions and cost.

Question 14

Describe the health belief model?

Answer 14

In order to increase chance of an individual changing health behaviour you need to influence their perception of…
1.Susceptibility to ill health
2.Severity of ill health
3. Benefits to behaviour change
4. Barriers to taking action

Question 15

Describe the transtheoretical model?

Answer 15

5 core phases to behaviour change, commonly used in smoking cessation
1. Pre-contemplation
2. Contemplation
3. Planning
4. Action
5. Maintenance
6. Termination

Question 16

Describe the theory of planned behaviour?

Answer 16

Several factors come together to influence intention to change behaviour until decision is made. These include attitudes, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control