CPH Exam Study Guide Questions
and Answers 100% Pass
Epidemiology - ✔✔study of distribution and determinants of health-related states and
events in specified populations and the application of this study to control health
problems
Role for epidemiology in public health - ✔✔Monitor health of population, Respond to
emerging public health problems, Promote research and use of evidence-based
interventions, Evaluate effectiveness of interventions, Findings provide foundations for
public health policy, Set funding priorities for research and intervention programs
Distribution - ✔✔who gets the disease, where people are located, and how these aspects
change over time
Disease frequency - ✔✔quantification of MMD in the populations (how often)
Disease distribution - ✔✔analysis of patterns (who, where, is it changing)
Population - ✔✔group of people with a common characteristic in terms of person,
place, and time
Fixed population - ✔✔membership based on an event which is permanent
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,Transient population - ✔✔membership based on a condition that can change
Mortality - ✔✔death
Crude MR - ✔✔# of deaths from all causes
Age specific MR - ✔✔# of deaths from all causes in a specific age group
Cause specific MR - ✔✔# of deaths from a specific cause
Infant MR - ✔✔# of deaths of infants less than 1 year of age
Proportionate mortality ratio - ✔✔# of deaths due to a specific disease within a
population divided by the total number of deaths in the population
Morbidity - ✔✔disease
Prevalence - ✔✔# of existing cases of disease / number in total population at a point in
time
Incidence - ✔✔# of new cases of disease that develop in a population at risk during a
specified time period
Cumulative incidence - ✔✔estimates the probability or risk that a person will develop
disease during a specified time
Incidence rate - ✔✔# of new cases / person time of observation
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,Relationship between incidence and prevalence - ✔✔Incidence decreases but people
living longer with the disease = increased prevalence; Incidence increases but duration
is short = decreased prevalence; Incidence decreases and duration is short = decreased
prevalence
Disability - ✔✔umbrella term for impairments, activity limitations, and participation
restrictions
Primary measures of association - ✔✔ratio, proportion, rate, relative risk
Ratio - ✔✔division of one number by another
Proportion - ✔✔numerator is a subset of the denominator (often a %)
Rate - ✔✔time is an intrinsic part of denominator
Relative risk - ✔✔rate in exposed / rate in unexposed (a/(a+b) / c / (c+d)); 1 - no
association between exposure and disease; 2 - two times the risk of disease in exposed
compared to unexposed
Odds ratio - ✔✔represents the odds that an outcome will occur given a particular
exposure, compared to the odds of the outcome occurring in the absence of that
exposure ( ad / bc); Most commonly used in case-control studies but can also be used in
cross-sectional and cohort studies as well; In order for odds ratio to approximate the
relative risk, the disease must be rare
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, Epidemic - ✔✔outbreak or occurrence of a DDD from a single source, in a group,
population, community or geographic area, in excess of the usual expectancy
Endemic - ✔✔ongoing, usual level of, or constant presence of a DDD within a given
population or geographic area
Pandemic - ✔✔an epidemic that is widespread across a country, continent, or a large
populace
Study Designs - ✔✔Ecological, cross-sectional, cohort, case-control, randomized
controlled trial
Ecological study - ✔✔Unit of analysis - population or groups; Exposure status - based
on the population; Time can vary; Ecological fallacy - making assumptions about the
individual based on finding at the level of the population
Cross-sectional - ✔✔Snap-shot in time; Unit of analysis - individual; Population selected
without regard to exposure or disease status; Measure - prevalence of disease (odds
ratio); Can't determine cause and effect
Case-control - ✔✔Disease is rare; Disease has a long induction or latent period; little is
known about the disease; Selection of cases and controls
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and Answers 100% Pass
Epidemiology - ✔✔study of distribution and determinants of health-related states and
events in specified populations and the application of this study to control health
problems
Role for epidemiology in public health - ✔✔Monitor health of population, Respond to
emerging public health problems, Promote research and use of evidence-based
interventions, Evaluate effectiveness of interventions, Findings provide foundations for
public health policy, Set funding priorities for research and intervention programs
Distribution - ✔✔who gets the disease, where people are located, and how these aspects
change over time
Disease frequency - ✔✔quantification of MMD in the populations (how often)
Disease distribution - ✔✔analysis of patterns (who, where, is it changing)
Population - ✔✔group of people with a common characteristic in terms of person,
place, and time
Fixed population - ✔✔membership based on an event which is permanent
Disclaimer: Original Content, No Copyright Infringement, All Rights Reserved © 2025 1
,Transient population - ✔✔membership based on a condition that can change
Mortality - ✔✔death
Crude MR - ✔✔# of deaths from all causes
Age specific MR - ✔✔# of deaths from all causes in a specific age group
Cause specific MR - ✔✔# of deaths from a specific cause
Infant MR - ✔✔# of deaths of infants less than 1 year of age
Proportionate mortality ratio - ✔✔# of deaths due to a specific disease within a
population divided by the total number of deaths in the population
Morbidity - ✔✔disease
Prevalence - ✔✔# of existing cases of disease / number in total population at a point in
time
Incidence - ✔✔# of new cases of disease that develop in a population at risk during a
specified time period
Cumulative incidence - ✔✔estimates the probability or risk that a person will develop
disease during a specified time
Incidence rate - ✔✔# of new cases / person time of observation
Disclaimer: Original Content, No Copyright Infringement, All Rights Reserved © 2025 2
,Relationship between incidence and prevalence - ✔✔Incidence decreases but people
living longer with the disease = increased prevalence; Incidence increases but duration
is short = decreased prevalence; Incidence decreases and duration is short = decreased
prevalence
Disability - ✔✔umbrella term for impairments, activity limitations, and participation
restrictions
Primary measures of association - ✔✔ratio, proportion, rate, relative risk
Ratio - ✔✔division of one number by another
Proportion - ✔✔numerator is a subset of the denominator (often a %)
Rate - ✔✔time is an intrinsic part of denominator
Relative risk - ✔✔rate in exposed / rate in unexposed (a/(a+b) / c / (c+d)); 1 - no
association between exposure and disease; 2 - two times the risk of disease in exposed
compared to unexposed
Odds ratio - ✔✔represents the odds that an outcome will occur given a particular
exposure, compared to the odds of the outcome occurring in the absence of that
exposure ( ad / bc); Most commonly used in case-control studies but can also be used in
cross-sectional and cohort studies as well; In order for odds ratio to approximate the
relative risk, the disease must be rare
Disclaimer: Original Content, No Copyright Infringement, All Rights Reserved © 2025 3
, Epidemic - ✔✔outbreak or occurrence of a DDD from a single source, in a group,
population, community or geographic area, in excess of the usual expectancy
Endemic - ✔✔ongoing, usual level of, or constant presence of a DDD within a given
population or geographic area
Pandemic - ✔✔an epidemic that is widespread across a country, continent, or a large
populace
Study Designs - ✔✔Ecological, cross-sectional, cohort, case-control, randomized
controlled trial
Ecological study - ✔✔Unit of analysis - population or groups; Exposure status - based
on the population; Time can vary; Ecological fallacy - making assumptions about the
individual based on finding at the level of the population
Cross-sectional - ✔✔Snap-shot in time; Unit of analysis - individual; Population selected
without regard to exposure or disease status; Measure - prevalence of disease (odds
ratio); Can't determine cause and effect
Case-control - ✔✔Disease is rare; Disease has a long induction or latent period; little is
known about the disease; Selection of cases and controls
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