H S 301 Exam 1 ACTUAL QUESTIONS AND
CORRECT ANSWERS
Upstream - CORRECT ANSWER Policies that focus on fundamental causes (global
forces, political priorities, societal values) leading to a more equal distribution of income,
power, and wealth. Societal Level.
Midstream - CORRECT ANSWER policies that focus on improving wider
environmental influences and environmental experiences (economic and work, physical,
education and learning, social. Neighbourhood level
Downstream - CORRECT ANSWER policies that focus on improving people's
symptoms (investment medical research). Individual level. Observing something that
happened to someone (observing a death/mortality)
Example of a downstream health problem and what interventions at the downstream
midstream and upstream levels would look like. - CORRECT ANSWER Downstream
Mortality = The cause was lung cancer (disease)
Midstream
Why?
The person grew up in a neighbourhood with high smoking rates (coping mechanisms for
hunger and stress)
Upstream
Federal policies have created segregated neighbourhoods
In his TED talk, Dr. Rishi Manchanda argues that we need more upstreams in health care.
What is an upstreamist in a health care setting? - CORRECT ANSWER An upstreamist
looks for the root causes of disease to focus on disease prevention rather than reactionary
treatments.
1) First, identify the problem and identify the root cause
2) Then, take a look at the living and working conditions
3)Finally, mobilize resources to address it
O Rather than focusing solely on treating a condition, upstreamists have a mindset of slowing
the progression of a condition and preventing other conditions from occurring
O This can occur at a societal, economic, etc. Level of analysis
What is a Blue Zone? What habits do Blue Zone inhabitants have in common? - CORRECT
ANSWER -Pockets where people live longer than anywhere else in the world
-The world's highest percentages of centenarians
-Habits:
Less smoking
Semi-vegetarianism
, Eat legumes
Constant moderate physical activity
Social engagement
Family time together
-Sardinian, Adventists, & Okinawans
ALL:
Don't smoke
Stay physically active
Keep socially engaged
Cherish family
Eat a plant-based diet
According to Dan Buettner's TED talk, what are the biggest differences between the Blue
Zones lifestyles and mainstream American culture? - CORRECT ANSWER -Blue
Zones lifestyles consist of more plant-based diets rich with vegetables
-Blue zone people eat off smaller plates to prevent overeating, which is more common in the
American culture
-Blue Zone lifestyles usually involve more physical activity regularly (more walking and
natural movement rather than exercise)
-Blue Zone lifestyles have the right outlook, i.e. Vocabulary for sense of purpose
-Blue Zone lifestyles take time to relax and "downshift" to prevent inflammatory response
caused by stress, Americans not as much
According to Link & Phelan, what does it mean to contextualize risk factors? - CORRECT
ANSWER Contextualizing risk factors refers to trying to understand how people come
to be exposed to individually-based risk factors (poor diet, cholesterol, lack of exercise, high
blood pressure) and determining the social conditions under which these individual risk
factors are related to disease in order to create more effective interventions.
Explain what is meant by a fundamental causes approach to understanding health and illness?
- CORRECT ANSWER -The fundamental causes approach focuses on the causes
whose health effects can't be eliminated by addressing the mechanisms that appear to link
them to disease.
-A fundamental cause involves access to broadly serviceable resources and thus influences
many risk factors and many disease outcomes.
-A fundamental cause could be anything from socioeconomic status, social networks, gender,
and race/ethnicity.
-In other words, the fundamental cause approach focuses on the root causes rather than
intervening mechanisms.
Explain the difference between proximal/proximate and distal causes of disease. - CORRECT
ANSWER -Proximal/proximate causes are downstream risk factors that usually take a
more individual-level approach
CORRECT ANSWERS
Upstream - CORRECT ANSWER Policies that focus on fundamental causes (global
forces, political priorities, societal values) leading to a more equal distribution of income,
power, and wealth. Societal Level.
Midstream - CORRECT ANSWER policies that focus on improving wider
environmental influences and environmental experiences (economic and work, physical,
education and learning, social. Neighbourhood level
Downstream - CORRECT ANSWER policies that focus on improving people's
symptoms (investment medical research). Individual level. Observing something that
happened to someone (observing a death/mortality)
Example of a downstream health problem and what interventions at the downstream
midstream and upstream levels would look like. - CORRECT ANSWER Downstream
Mortality = The cause was lung cancer (disease)
Midstream
Why?
The person grew up in a neighbourhood with high smoking rates (coping mechanisms for
hunger and stress)
Upstream
Federal policies have created segregated neighbourhoods
In his TED talk, Dr. Rishi Manchanda argues that we need more upstreams in health care.
What is an upstreamist in a health care setting? - CORRECT ANSWER An upstreamist
looks for the root causes of disease to focus on disease prevention rather than reactionary
treatments.
1) First, identify the problem and identify the root cause
2) Then, take a look at the living and working conditions
3)Finally, mobilize resources to address it
O Rather than focusing solely on treating a condition, upstreamists have a mindset of slowing
the progression of a condition and preventing other conditions from occurring
O This can occur at a societal, economic, etc. Level of analysis
What is a Blue Zone? What habits do Blue Zone inhabitants have in common? - CORRECT
ANSWER -Pockets where people live longer than anywhere else in the world
-The world's highest percentages of centenarians
-Habits:
Less smoking
Semi-vegetarianism
, Eat legumes
Constant moderate physical activity
Social engagement
Family time together
-Sardinian, Adventists, & Okinawans
ALL:
Don't smoke
Stay physically active
Keep socially engaged
Cherish family
Eat a plant-based diet
According to Dan Buettner's TED talk, what are the biggest differences between the Blue
Zones lifestyles and mainstream American culture? - CORRECT ANSWER -Blue
Zones lifestyles consist of more plant-based diets rich with vegetables
-Blue zone people eat off smaller plates to prevent overeating, which is more common in the
American culture
-Blue Zone lifestyles usually involve more physical activity regularly (more walking and
natural movement rather than exercise)
-Blue Zone lifestyles have the right outlook, i.e. Vocabulary for sense of purpose
-Blue Zone lifestyles take time to relax and "downshift" to prevent inflammatory response
caused by stress, Americans not as much
According to Link & Phelan, what does it mean to contextualize risk factors? - CORRECT
ANSWER Contextualizing risk factors refers to trying to understand how people come
to be exposed to individually-based risk factors (poor diet, cholesterol, lack of exercise, high
blood pressure) and determining the social conditions under which these individual risk
factors are related to disease in order to create more effective interventions.
Explain what is meant by a fundamental causes approach to understanding health and illness?
- CORRECT ANSWER -The fundamental causes approach focuses on the causes
whose health effects can't be eliminated by addressing the mechanisms that appear to link
them to disease.
-A fundamental cause involves access to broadly serviceable resources and thus influences
many risk factors and many disease outcomes.
-A fundamental cause could be anything from socioeconomic status, social networks, gender,
and race/ethnicity.
-In other words, the fundamental cause approach focuses on the root causes rather than
intervening mechanisms.
Explain the difference between proximal/proximate and distal causes of disease. - CORRECT
ANSWER -Proximal/proximate causes are downstream risk factors that usually take a
more individual-level approach
