Week 3: Community Assessment and Epidemiology Flashcards
What is the primary purpose of a community health needs assessment (CHNA)?
A. To address individual patient needs through direct interventions.
B. To evaluate the health status and identify major risk factors within a community.
C. To replace existing public health policies with community-specific solutions.
D. To standardize healthcare delivery across different populations.
Answer: B
Rationale: A CHNA assesses health status, identifies risk factors, and guides actions to improve community health outcomes.
Which of the following is a key indicator of community health?
A. Demographics and language diversity.
B. Number of hospitals in a geographic area.
C. Proportion of healthcare professionals per capita.
D. Infant mortality rate.
Answer: D
Rationale: Infant mortality rate is a widely used benchmark for assessing the overall health of a population.
A nurse is analyzing data to calculate the incidence of flu cases in a population. What information is required for this calculation?
A. The total number of flu cases during a specified time period.
B. The number of existing flu cases in the population.
C. The total population at risk during the specified time period.
D. The demographic characteristics of individuals with the flu.
Answer: C
Rationale: Incidence measures the number of new cases in a population at risk over a given time period.
Which of the following describes the epidemiologic triad?
A. Host, agent, environment.
B. Prevalence, incidence, risk factors.
C. Health promotion, disease prevention, health maintenance.
D. Individual, community, society.
Answer: A
Rationale: The epidemiologic triad identifies the relationship between host, agent, and environment in disease causation.
What is a distinguishing feature of a cohort study in epidemiology?
A. It begins with the outcome and looks retrospectively at exposures.
B. It examines data from a single point in time.
C. It follows a group of individuals over time to observe outcomes.
D. It compares populations exposed to different environmental conditions.
Answer: C
Rationale: A cohort study tracks a group over time to study the development of specific health outcomes.
Which factor is most significant in determining the prevalence of a disease?
A. Duration of the disease and number of existing cases.
B. Number of new cases identified during a specific time period.
C. Population size and demographic diversity.
D. Geographic location and proximity to healthcare services.
Answer: A
Rationale: Prevalence reflects both the duration of the disease and the total number of existing cases.
In the context of community health, what does the “develop personal skills” strategy of the Ottawa Charter promote?
A. Advocating for policy changes to support health equity.
B. Educating individuals on managing their own health.
C. Improving access to healthcare facilities in rural areas.
D. Strengthening community partnerships for health promotion.
Answer: B
Rationale: Developing personal skills involves empowering individuals to take control of their health through education and skill-building.
Which is an example of a descriptive epidemiology study?
A. Describing the distribution of diabetes in a population by age and gender.
B. Investigating the relationship between smoking and lung cancer.
C. Comparing mortality rates between rural and urban populations.
D. Testing the efficacy of a new medication in clinical trials.
Answer: A
Rationale: Descriptive epidemiology studies focus on the distribution of health events within populations based on person, place, and time.
A nurse is interpreting morbidity data in a community. What does morbidity rate measure?
A. The number of deaths in a population.
B. The frequency of illness in a population.
C. The life expectancy at birth.
D. The proportion of individuals vaccinated.
Answer: B
Rationale: Morbidity rates provide information on the frequency of illness or disease in a specified population.
What is a core function of epidemiology in public health?
A. Implementing healthcare delivery policies.
B. Providing direct care to affected individuals.
C. Monitoring health data to identify emerging trends.
D. Ensuring financial resources for healthcare programs.
Answer: C
Rationale: Epidemiology involves public health surveillance to monitor and analyze health data systematically.
A nurse is analyzing relative risk (RR) in an epidemiological study. What does an RR of 2 indicate?
A. The risk of disease is the same for exposed and unexposed groups.
B. There is no significant association between exposure and disease.
C. The disease is twice as common in unexposed groups.
D. Exposed individuals are twice as likely to develop the disease.
Answer: D
Rationale: An RR of 2 indicates that exposure doubles the risk of developing the disease compared to non-exposure.
A nurse is educating patients about disaster preparedness in flood-prone areas. What recommendation should the nurse emphasize?
A. Stockpile perishable food items.
B. Prepare a go-bag with essential medications and documents.
C. Avoid evacuation until water levels become dangerous.
D. Focus on keeping communication devices unplugged.
Answer: B
Rationale: Having a prepared go-bag ensures that essential items, including medications, are readily available during an emergency evacuation.
During a community health assessment, a nurse identifies an increase in asthma cases. Which environmental factor should the nurse prioritize addressing?
A. Poor nutritional practices
B. Lack of exercise opportunities
C. Increased air pollution levels
D. Inadequate vaccination rates
Answer: C
Rationale: Increased air pollution is directly linked to respiratory conditions, including asthma, and should be a priority in health interventions.
A nurse is preparing a presentation on the link between climate change and vector-borne diseases. Which statement should the nurse include?
A. “Climate change reduces the geographic range of most disease-carrying vectors.”
B. “Warmer temperatures can expand the habitats of mosquitoes, increasing disease transmission.”
C. “Climate change primarily affects disease transmission in colder climates.”
D. “Increased humidity reduces the likelihood of vector-borne diseases.”
Answer: B
Rationale: Warmer temperatures and increased precipitation create favorable conditions for vectors like mosquitoes, increasing the spread of diseases such as malaria and dengue.
A nurse participates in a community program aimed at reducing urban heat island effects. Which nursing intervention best supports this goal?
A. Organizing tree-planting campaigns in urban neighborhoods
B. Conducting health screenings for vector-borne diseases
C. Encouraging the use of synthetic materials for clothing
D. Providing nutritional supplements to the community
Answer: A
Rationale: Tree planting helps reduce urban heat island effects by lowering temperatures and improving air quality.
