Session 1

Question 1

What is the definition of public health?

Answer 1

Public health is the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts of society.

Question 2

What are the 3 domains of public health in the UK?

Answer 2

Health protection - preventing disease.
Healthcare - prolonging life.
Health improvement - promoting health.

Question 3

What are the 5 determinants of health?

Answer 3

Age, sex, and hereditary factor.
Lifestyle factors.
Social and community networks.
Living and working conditions.
Socioeconomics, cultural and environmental conditions.

Question 4

State some socioeconomic factors.

Answer 4

Income.
Job status.
Education.
Family and social support.
Community safety.

Question 5

What is the definition of statistics?

Answer 5

Statistics is the collection, presentation, description and analysis of data (sometimes themselves called ‘statistics’) which are measurable in numerical forms.

Question 6

How can statistics be classified?

Answer 6

Descriptive - describing data.
Inferential - analysing data to enable conclusions to be drawn from the data so that predictions and decisions can be made.

Question 7

How can we make inferences about an entire population?

Answer 7

By taking a sample.

Question 8

What is the definition of epidemiology?

Answer 8

Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events (including disease) in specified populations, and the application of this study to the control of health problems (including disease).

Question 9

Outline some methods that can be used to carry out epidemiological investigations.

Answer 9

• surveillance and descriptive studies can be used to study distribution.
• analytical studies are used to study determinants.

Question 10

What is descriptive epidemiology?

Answer 10

Sampling so that can inferences can be made about a population.

Question 11

What is analytical epidemiology?

Answer 11

Selections so that characteristics can be compared.

Question 12

Outline the different epidemiological study designs.

Answer 12

Question 13

What is biological plausibility?

Answer 13

A biologically plausible mechanism strengthens the case for a causal link.
A causal link is more likely if a biologically plausible mechanism is likely or demonstrated.

Question 14

What are the different populations that data can be used to show their needs for?

Answer 14

It can be used to show:
- Populations with age distributions.
- Fertility, birth control and longevity.
- Geriatrics; activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs).
- Life expectancy across different countries.

Question 15

What is evidence-based medicine?

Answer 15

Evidence based medicine is the conscientious, explicit (appraised) and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients.

Question 16

What does the practice of evidence-based medicine mean?

Answer 16

The practice of evidence based medicine means integrating individual clinical expertise with the best available external clinical evidence from systematic research.

Question 17

What does evidence-based medicine require?

Answer 17

Expertise of clinicians to see whether the medicine applies to the individual patient.

Question 18

What 3 factors contribute to evidence-based medicine?

Answer 18

• Clinical judgement.
• Relative scientific evidence.
• Patients’ values and preferences.

Question 19

Scientifically, why use EBM?

Answer 19

Patients are more likely to benefit, from taking the medication, than not.
It is better than alternative treatments.

Question 20

What do ecological studies look at?

Answer 20

Looking at a population as a whole.

Question 21

What are cross-sectional studies?

Answer 21

Collecting data at one point in time; can be descriptive or analytical.

Question 22

What are case control studies?

Answer 22

Selecting a group of cases and controls and comparing them.

Question 23

What are cohort studies?

Answer 23

Selecting groups based on exposures.

Question 24

Outline the different research study designs and rank them in terms of the strength of the evidence they provide.

Answer 24

Question 25

What is absolute risk?

Answer 25

Looking at how a drug or treatment will affect a person.

Question 26

What is relative risk?

Answer 26

Looking at how a treatment or patient may affect a person, based on alternatives.