HSC101 Health & Society
Midterm Exam Review
(Questions & Solutions)
2025
©2025
, Question 1:
A public health study examines the impact of neighborhood conditions
on residents’ long-term health outcomes. Which framework best explains
how social, economic, and environmental factors interact to shape
health?
a) Biomedical Model
b) Socio-Ecological Model
c) Transtheoretical Model
d) Diffusion of Innovations
Correct ANS: b) Socio-Ecological Model
Rationale: The Socio-Ecological Model recognizes that health outcomes
are influenced by multiple layers—individual, interpersonal,
organizational, community, and policy factors—making it ideal for
analyzing how neighborhoods shape health.
---
Question 2:
A researcher investigating health disparities wants to apply a theory that
posits that an individual’s access to flexible resources (e.g., knowledge,
money, power) fundamentally drives health outcomes. Which theory
does this describe?
a) Social Capital Theory
b) Fundamental Cause Theory
c) Social Cognitive Theory
d) Health Belief Model
Correct ANS: b) Fundamental Cause Theory
Rationale: Fundamental Cause Theory argues that socioeconomic
status—and the flexible resources it confers—is the underlying driver of
multiple disease outcomes, consistently influencing health inequalities
over time.
©2025
,---
Question 3:
An epidemiologist studies the higher prevalence of cardiovascular
disease in lower-income communities. Which of the following factors is
MOST likely a mediator in this association?
a) Genetic predisposition
b) Access to healthy foods and recreational facilities
c) Seasonal weather changes
d) National healthcare legislation
Correct ANS: b) Access to healthy foods and recreational facilities
Rationale: Access to resources such as nutritious food and safe spaces
for exercise is a direct aspect of the social determinants of health that
often mediates the relationship between low socioeconomic status and
poor cardiovascular outcomes.
---
Question 4:
A government agency is developing policies to reduce health inequities
across different social groups. Which approach emphasizes addressing
broadened social determinants rather than focusing solely on individual
behaviors?
a) Individual Risk Modification
b) Population Health Approach
c) Randomized Controlled Trial
d) Clinical Intervention
Correct ANS: b) Population Health Approach
Rationale: A Population Health Approach targets the underlying social,
economic, and environmental determinants of health to reduce risk at
the community level instead of focusing only on individual behavior
modifications.
©2025
, ---
Question 5:
A hospital’s community outreach program is structured to empower
underserved populations by engaging them in decision-making processes
about local health services. This initiative exemplifies what concept?
a) Paternalistic Care
b) Health Empowerment
c) Fee-for-Service Model
d) Biostatistical Surveillance
Correct ANS: b) Health Empowerment
Rationale: Health empowerment involves providing individuals and
communities with the means, knowledge, and confidence to address
their own health needs and influence the services offered to them.
---
Question 6:
In a study examining how racial discrimination contributes to adverse
health outcomes, which term best describes systemic, covert operations
within institutions that lead to disparities?
a) Structural Racism
b) Cultural Relativism
c) Social Desirability Bias
d) Intersectionality
Correct ANS: a) Structural Racism
Rationale: Structural racism refers to the systemic policies and
practices within social institutions that perpetuate racial inequalities,
significantly contributing to health disparities.
---
©2025
Midterm Exam Review
(Questions & Solutions)
2025
©2025
, Question 1:
A public health study examines the impact of neighborhood conditions
on residents’ long-term health outcomes. Which framework best explains
how social, economic, and environmental factors interact to shape
health?
a) Biomedical Model
b) Socio-Ecological Model
c) Transtheoretical Model
d) Diffusion of Innovations
Correct ANS: b) Socio-Ecological Model
Rationale: The Socio-Ecological Model recognizes that health outcomes
are influenced by multiple layers—individual, interpersonal,
organizational, community, and policy factors—making it ideal for
analyzing how neighborhoods shape health.
---
Question 2:
A researcher investigating health disparities wants to apply a theory that
posits that an individual’s access to flexible resources (e.g., knowledge,
money, power) fundamentally drives health outcomes. Which theory
does this describe?
a) Social Capital Theory
b) Fundamental Cause Theory
c) Social Cognitive Theory
d) Health Belief Model
Correct ANS: b) Fundamental Cause Theory
Rationale: Fundamental Cause Theory argues that socioeconomic
status—and the flexible resources it confers—is the underlying driver of
multiple disease outcomes, consistently influencing health inequalities
over time.
©2025
,---
Question 3:
An epidemiologist studies the higher prevalence of cardiovascular
disease in lower-income communities. Which of the following factors is
MOST likely a mediator in this association?
a) Genetic predisposition
b) Access to healthy foods and recreational facilities
c) Seasonal weather changes
d) National healthcare legislation
Correct ANS: b) Access to healthy foods and recreational facilities
Rationale: Access to resources such as nutritious food and safe spaces
for exercise is a direct aspect of the social determinants of health that
often mediates the relationship between low socioeconomic status and
poor cardiovascular outcomes.
---
Question 4:
A government agency is developing policies to reduce health inequities
across different social groups. Which approach emphasizes addressing
broadened social determinants rather than focusing solely on individual
behaviors?
a) Individual Risk Modification
b) Population Health Approach
c) Randomized Controlled Trial
d) Clinical Intervention
Correct ANS: b) Population Health Approach
Rationale: A Population Health Approach targets the underlying social,
economic, and environmental determinants of health to reduce risk at
the community level instead of focusing only on individual behavior
modifications.
©2025
, ---
Question 5:
A hospital’s community outreach program is structured to empower
underserved populations by engaging them in decision-making processes
about local health services. This initiative exemplifies what concept?
a) Paternalistic Care
b) Health Empowerment
c) Fee-for-Service Model
d) Biostatistical Surveillance
Correct ANS: b) Health Empowerment
Rationale: Health empowerment involves providing individuals and
communities with the means, knowledge, and confidence to address
their own health needs and influence the services offered to them.
---
Question 6:
In a study examining how racial discrimination contributes to adverse
health outcomes, which term best describes systemic, covert operations
within institutions that lead to disparities?
a) Structural Racism
b) Cultural Relativism
c) Social Desirability Bias
d) Intersectionality
Correct ANS: a) Structural Racism
Rationale: Structural racism refers to the systemic policies and
practices within social institutions that perpetuate racial inequalities,
significantly contributing to health disparities.
---
©2025
