Semester 1

Question 1

Does

A) Chance (Random error)
B) Bias (Systematic error)

Increase/decrease/stay the same as sample size increases?

Answer 1

A) Chance decreases as sample size increases

B) Bias stays the same as sample size increases

Question 2

Prevalence:

• what is its definition?
• what is its calculation?

Answer 2

Definition: PROPORTION of people that have the disease at the given time (both new and old CASES)

Calculation: (number of people with the disease)/population size

Question 3

Incidence definition.

What is its calculation?

Answer 3

The number of new cases of the disease within a given timeframe (useful when monitoring epidemics).

Incidence rate:
Events per person per year = (no. of new cases)/time the patient is at risk

Question 4

What is a positive definition of health?

Which socio-economic class typically have this view?

Answer 4

Being fit and having a good wellbeing.

Higher socio-economic class.

Question 5

What is a negative definition of health?

Which socio-economic class typically have this view?

Answer 5

Being free from illness.

Lower socio-economic class

Question 6

What is a functional definition of health?

Answer 6

Ability to actively do things

Question 7

What are the 5 different types of work that are apart of the sociological theory of chronic illness?

Answer 7

Biographical work
Identity work
Everyday life work
Illness work
Emotional work

Question 8

Descriptive and Analytical studies are both Observational studies.

Give 2 examples of a Descriptive study and 2 examples of an Analytical study.

Answer 8

Descriptive study:
Ecological study
Cross-sectional study

Analytical study:
CS - Cohort study
CCS - Case control study

Question 9

Ecological fallacy is a type of confounding that is found in Ecological studies.

What is the definition of ecological fallacy?

Answer 9

Presuming that every individual in that group has the same characteristic

Question 10

Chance (random error) is a typical issue in most studies.

It is therefore found in Cross-sectional studies.

Name 2 other issues found in Cross-sectional studies.

Answer 10

Participant bias

Sampling bias

Question 11

Describe what a Retrospective Case-control study is.

Answer 11

Compares patients that have the outcome/disease (Case) with the patients that do not have the outcome/disease (Control) and look retrospectively (back) to see the frequency of exposure in both groups (Case and Control) and see the risk of exposure producing the outcome/disease.

Question 12

What are 4 issues with Case-control studies?

Answer 12

Information bias

Selection bias

Confounding

Chance

Question 13

What is a Concurrent Cohort study also called?

Describe what this study is.

Describe what a Retrospective/Historical Cohort study is.

Answer 13

A Prospective Cohort study is when the Exposed and Unexposed groups are compared for sometime to see what the outcome is.

A Retrospective Cohort study is when you compare the Exposed and Unexposed groups and the outcomes (that have already occurred) in each group.

Question 14

Name 4 issues with Cohort studies

Answer 14

Confounding
Chance
Informational bias
Loss to follow up

Question 15

Odds ratio and (Incidence) Rate ratios.

Which ones can be used in Cohort studies and Case-control studies?

Answer 15

Case-control studies: Odds ratio (as case control studies are always retrospective, you do not/cannot assess the risk so do not need to calculate the risk/rate ratio)

Cohort studies: Odds ratio or Rate ratio

Question 16

Describe the social selection explanation of the Black Report.

Answer 16

The causation is from Health status to Social status. The more ill you are, the poorer your social status (move down the social hierarchy)

Question 17

Describe the Behavioural-cultural explanation of the Black Report.

Answer 17

Ill health is due to an individuals (poor) choices

Question 18

You can have an inequality without it being an inequity.

What are the definitions of both words?

Answer 18

Inequality - when things are imbalanced/unequal

Inequity - an inequality that is unfair and avoidable

Question 19

People who are symptomatic but do not consult contribute to what phenomenon?

Answer 19

Illness iceberg

Question 20

Describe the Materialist explanation of the Black Report.

Answer 20

Health status is a result of the access to material resources, e.g. income, housing, work environment. Accumulation of these factors over your lifetime determines your health status

Question 21

Give 3 reasons why it is important for doctors to have an understanding of lay beliefs

Answer 21

1. Lay beliefs influence illness behaviour
2. Lay beliefs influence compliance/non-compliance
3. Lay beliefs influence health behaviour

Question 22

Describe Wilkinson’s Income distribution theory of health inequality.

Answer 22

(A countries relative income is measured, instead of their average income).

The greater the income inequality, the greater the health inequality (in a country).