Community Health Nursing FINAL
EXAM Questions and Answers
Updated 2026
Studies in analytic epidemiology differ from descriptive epidemiology because they seek to answer
what kind of questions? - AnswerThe WHY questions.
Descriptive epidemiology describes the distribution of disease, death, and other health outcomes in
the population according to person, place, and time—the who, where, and when of disease patterns.
Analytic epidemiology, by contrast, searches for the determinants of the patterns observed—the
how and why of disease patterns.
Nurses in community health often use epidemiology because in the community, it is often difficult to
control the environment. Which statement demonstrates an epidemiological strategy for monitoring
disease trends?
a)A community health nurse (CHN) conducts a diabetic education class for newly diagnosed clients.
b)A CHN investigates reported cases of whooping cough in an elementary school.
c)A CHN organizes a health and wellness fair at the community health centre.
d)A CHN participates on a county school board that addresses student health issues. - AnswerA
Nurses are a key part of the interdisciplinary team in community settings and are involved in the
surveillance and monitoring of disease trends.
A CHN teaches a client with asthma to recognize and avoid exposure to asthma triggers and assists
the family in implementing specific protection strategies, such as removing carpets and avoiding
pets. What level of intervention is represented by this practice?
a) Assessment
b) Primary prevention
c) Secondary prevention
d) Tertiary prevention - AnswerB
Primary prevention refers to interventions that promote health and prevent the occurrence of
disease, injury, or disability. Interventions at this level are aimed at individuals and groups who are
susceptible to disease but have no discernible pathology (i.e., they are in a state of prepathogenesis).
,A breast cancer screening program screened 8 000 women and discovered cancer in 35 women who
had previously been diagnosed with breast cancer and in 20 women with no previous history of
breast cancer. What is the prevalence rate of breast cancer in this scenario?
a)Current and past breast cancer events in this population of women
b)Newly diagnosed cases of breast cancer in this population of women
c)Past breast cancer events in this population of women
d)Population of women who had no evidence of breast cancer - AnswerCurrent and past breast
cancer events in this population of women (20+35/8000)
The prevalence rate identifies the number of persons in a population that have a disease or
experienced an event at a particular time (i.e., the number of existing [old and new] cases divided by
the population at risk).
One of the basic concepts in epidemiology is the concept of risk. How is risk can be defined? -
AnswerThe probability that an event will occur within a specified time period.
Notable developments in history have contributed to the science of epidemiology. List, in order of
occurrence (earliest to most recent event), the following developments that contributed to this
science.
a) Germ theory, pasteurization, and antiseptic surgery
b) Person, place, and time examined for influence on health
c) Appearance of Ebola virus and drug-resistant forms of old diseases
d) Effective vaccinations, immunizations, and mass screening programs implemented - AnswerB, A, D,
C
A nurse is concerned about the accuracy of a purified protein derivative (PPD) test in identifying
cases of TB exposure for follow-up chest X-ray. Which measure will help the nurse address the
validity of the test?
a)Reliability
b)Sensitivity
c)specificity
,d)variation - AnswerB
Validity of a screening test is measured by sensitivity and specificity. Sensitivity quantifies how
accurately the test identifies those with the condition or trait. It represents the proportion of persons
with the disease whom the test correctly identifies as positive (true positives). High sensitivity is
needed when early treatment is important and when identification of every case is important.
A description of health-related patterns in a population should take into account which information?
a)The size of the population at risk during a specified time period
b)The annual number of cases of the health-related event
c) The ratio of the number of cases to the frequency of the health event
d)The simple count of cases in the general population - AnswerA
Any description of disease patterns should take into account the size of the population at risk for the
disease. That is, it should look not only at the numerator (the number of cases) but also at the
denominator (the number of people in the population at risk) during the specified time period each
was observed.
Which study designs uses aggregate data, such as population rates, to determine the association
between exposure and outcome?
a)Case control studies
b)Cohort studies
c)Cross-sectional studies
d)ecological studies - AnswerEcological studies
Ecological studies use aggregate data, rather than data on individuals' exposures, characteristics, and
outcomes. In ecological studies, the descriptive component considers variations in disease rates by
person, place, or time. The analytic component in ecological studies tries to determine if there is a
relationship between disease rates and variations in rates for possible risk (or protective) factors or
characteristics.
A business executive develops symptoms of the flu one day after returning by air from a cross-
Atlantic business trip that ran for two consecutive, stressful 10-hour days. What relationships are
illustrated by this development of flu symptoms?
, a)Person, place, and time
b)Host, agent, and environment
c)Risk and causality
d)Morbidity and disease - AnswerB
Epidemiologists understand that disease results from complex relationships among causal agents,
susceptible persons, and environmental factors. These three elements—agent, host, and
environment—are called the epidemiological triangle, a model that is particularly suited to infectious
disease epidemiology. Changes in one of the elements of the triangle can influence the occurrence of
disease by decreasing or increasing a person's risk of disease.
Twenty people attended a church picnic on the weekend. By Monday, four individuals exhibited
symptoms of food poisoning. On Tuesday, the CHN records the addition of two new cases. What is
the incidence rate for this occurrence? - AnswerTwo new cases divided by 16 at risk
An incidence rate quantifies the rate of development of new cases in a population at risk (persons
without the event or outcome of interest but who have a chance of experiencing it).
Which test measure is affected by the prevalence of disease in the screened population?
a)sensitivity
b)specificity
c)Predictive value
d)Validity - AnswerC
Although sensitivity and specificity are relatively independent of the prevalence of disease,
predictive values are affected by the level of disease in the screened population and by the sensitivity
and specificity of the test.
CHNs practising within the comprehensive school health framework spend significant amounts of
time focusing on the prevention of health issues in schoolchildren at a stage that is early enough to
avoid risk factors arising in the first place. This is an example of which type of prevention? -
AnswerPrimordial prevention
EXAM Questions and Answers
Updated 2026
Studies in analytic epidemiology differ from descriptive epidemiology because they seek to answer
what kind of questions? - AnswerThe WHY questions.
Descriptive epidemiology describes the distribution of disease, death, and other health outcomes in
the population according to person, place, and time—the who, where, and when of disease patterns.
Analytic epidemiology, by contrast, searches for the determinants of the patterns observed—the
how and why of disease patterns.
Nurses in community health often use epidemiology because in the community, it is often difficult to
control the environment. Which statement demonstrates an epidemiological strategy for monitoring
disease trends?
a)A community health nurse (CHN) conducts a diabetic education class for newly diagnosed clients.
b)A CHN investigates reported cases of whooping cough in an elementary school.
c)A CHN organizes a health and wellness fair at the community health centre.
d)A CHN participates on a county school board that addresses student health issues. - AnswerA
Nurses are a key part of the interdisciplinary team in community settings and are involved in the
surveillance and monitoring of disease trends.
A CHN teaches a client with asthma to recognize and avoid exposure to asthma triggers and assists
the family in implementing specific protection strategies, such as removing carpets and avoiding
pets. What level of intervention is represented by this practice?
a) Assessment
b) Primary prevention
c) Secondary prevention
d) Tertiary prevention - AnswerB
Primary prevention refers to interventions that promote health and prevent the occurrence of
disease, injury, or disability. Interventions at this level are aimed at individuals and groups who are
susceptible to disease but have no discernible pathology (i.e., they are in a state of prepathogenesis).
,A breast cancer screening program screened 8 000 women and discovered cancer in 35 women who
had previously been diagnosed with breast cancer and in 20 women with no previous history of
breast cancer. What is the prevalence rate of breast cancer in this scenario?
a)Current and past breast cancer events in this population of women
b)Newly diagnosed cases of breast cancer in this population of women
c)Past breast cancer events in this population of women
d)Population of women who had no evidence of breast cancer - AnswerCurrent and past breast
cancer events in this population of women (20+35/8000)
The prevalence rate identifies the number of persons in a population that have a disease or
experienced an event at a particular time (i.e., the number of existing [old and new] cases divided by
the population at risk).
One of the basic concepts in epidemiology is the concept of risk. How is risk can be defined? -
AnswerThe probability that an event will occur within a specified time period.
Notable developments in history have contributed to the science of epidemiology. List, in order of
occurrence (earliest to most recent event), the following developments that contributed to this
science.
a) Germ theory, pasteurization, and antiseptic surgery
b) Person, place, and time examined for influence on health
c) Appearance of Ebola virus and drug-resistant forms of old diseases
d) Effective vaccinations, immunizations, and mass screening programs implemented - AnswerB, A, D,
C
A nurse is concerned about the accuracy of a purified protein derivative (PPD) test in identifying
cases of TB exposure for follow-up chest X-ray. Which measure will help the nurse address the
validity of the test?
a)Reliability
b)Sensitivity
c)specificity
,d)variation - AnswerB
Validity of a screening test is measured by sensitivity and specificity. Sensitivity quantifies how
accurately the test identifies those with the condition or trait. It represents the proportion of persons
with the disease whom the test correctly identifies as positive (true positives). High sensitivity is
needed when early treatment is important and when identification of every case is important.
A description of health-related patterns in a population should take into account which information?
a)The size of the population at risk during a specified time period
b)The annual number of cases of the health-related event
c) The ratio of the number of cases to the frequency of the health event
d)The simple count of cases in the general population - AnswerA
Any description of disease patterns should take into account the size of the population at risk for the
disease. That is, it should look not only at the numerator (the number of cases) but also at the
denominator (the number of people in the population at risk) during the specified time period each
was observed.
Which study designs uses aggregate data, such as population rates, to determine the association
between exposure and outcome?
a)Case control studies
b)Cohort studies
c)Cross-sectional studies
d)ecological studies - AnswerEcological studies
Ecological studies use aggregate data, rather than data on individuals' exposures, characteristics, and
outcomes. In ecological studies, the descriptive component considers variations in disease rates by
person, place, or time. The analytic component in ecological studies tries to determine if there is a
relationship between disease rates and variations in rates for possible risk (or protective) factors or
characteristics.
A business executive develops symptoms of the flu one day after returning by air from a cross-
Atlantic business trip that ran for two consecutive, stressful 10-hour days. What relationships are
illustrated by this development of flu symptoms?
, a)Person, place, and time
b)Host, agent, and environment
c)Risk and causality
d)Morbidity and disease - AnswerB
Epidemiologists understand that disease results from complex relationships among causal agents,
susceptible persons, and environmental factors. These three elements—agent, host, and
environment—are called the epidemiological triangle, a model that is particularly suited to infectious
disease epidemiology. Changes in one of the elements of the triangle can influence the occurrence of
disease by decreasing or increasing a person's risk of disease.
Twenty people attended a church picnic on the weekend. By Monday, four individuals exhibited
symptoms of food poisoning. On Tuesday, the CHN records the addition of two new cases. What is
the incidence rate for this occurrence? - AnswerTwo new cases divided by 16 at risk
An incidence rate quantifies the rate of development of new cases in a population at risk (persons
without the event or outcome of interest but who have a chance of experiencing it).
Which test measure is affected by the prevalence of disease in the screened population?
a)sensitivity
b)specificity
c)Predictive value
d)Validity - AnswerC
Although sensitivity and specificity are relatively independent of the prevalence of disease,
predictive values are affected by the level of disease in the screened population and by the sensitivity
and specificity of the test.
CHNs practising within the comprehensive school health framework spend significant amounts of
time focusing on the prevention of health issues in schoolchildren at a stage that is early enough to
avoid risk factors arising in the first place. This is an example of which type of prevention? -
AnswerPrimordial prevention
