POPM 3240 FINAL EXAM REVIEW QUESTIONS |
VERIFIED ACCURATE ANSWERS |2026
Epidemiology - Answers -the study of the frequency, distribution and determinants of
health and sieges populations, and the application of this study to control health
problems
Health - Answers -a state of complete physical, mental and social well being, and not
merely the absence of disease or infirmity
Disease - Answers -a derangement in the function of the whole body of the host or any
of its parts
Cholera - Answers -an acute diarrheal illness that causes death within hours if left
untreated
Primary prevention - Answers -this occurs before the onset of disease, where we try to
prevent the development of a disease altogether (often focuses on health promotion, ex,
condoms)
Secondary prevention - Answers -all about early detection of disease through
screening (looking for early signs of disease before it causes a problem) - stool or blood
tests, etc
Tertiary prevention - Answers -focuses on addressing the results of clinical illnesss in
order to lessen the impact of disease - focused on treatment of signs and symptoms of
disease (ex, taking advil to manage pain)
Dr. James Lind - Answers -conducted the first ever documented randomized controlled
trial to identify the cure for scurvy (cure was citrus fruits)
Sir Percival Pott - Answers -made one of the earliest accounts of a cause and effect
linkage for an occupational carcinogen (chimney sweeper cancer)
Horizontal transmission - Answers -transmission of an infectious agent between
members of the same species through indirect or direct contact
Vertical transmission - Answers -transmission of an infectious agent from mother to
embryo, fetus or baby, before during or just after pregnancy
Zoonotic disease - Answers -any disease/infection that is naturally transmissible from
vertebrate animals to man
,Vectors - Answers -responsible for transmitting disease from the original host or
reservoir to the second host (insects, etc)
Host is young and has undeveloped immune system and is experiencing new food and
bacteria for first time - Answers -What may explain more food borne disease in the very
young?
Host may be stressed, agent could be bacteria/virus living on common surfaces, and air
quality may be poor - Answers -What may explain more respiratory disease in cattle
housed in a barn rather than outside?
Pregnant women are more susceptible to food borne illness - Answers -What may
explain more food borne diseases in women?
This disease is from roundworms in pork and these people do not eat pork - Answers -
What would explain less trichinosis in Jewish and Muslim populations?
Infected - Answers -refers to a host that is invaded by microorganisms, the organisms
multiple and the hosts immune system responds
Diseased - Answers -refers to an infection that causes clinical signs/symptoms
Carriers - Answers -individuals who harbour an organism and are capable of spreading
the infectious agent but do not appear sick
Stage of susceptibility, stage of pre-symptomatic disease, stage of clinical disease,
stage of disability or recovery - Answers -What are the 4 key stages in the development
of disease?
Stage of susceptibility - Answers -a susceptible host is exposed to amount of agent that
is sufficient to cause disease
Stage of pre-symptomatic disease - Answers -as time progresses from the point of
exposure, changes in pathology of infected host will being (no symptoms yet)
Stage of clinical disease - Answers -more significant changes occurring in the body,
resulting in presentation of visible clinical signs and symptoms
Stage of disability/recovery - Answers -once clinical form has occurred, there is a
period of time when the individual may be treated after which the outcome will occur
Latent period - Answers -the time between being exposed to a sufficient cause of
disease and being able to detect that disease state once its underway
Incubation period - Answers -the time between being exposed to a sufficient cause of
disease and the onset of clinical signs
,Endemic - Answers -refers to a disease that is habitually present within a given
geographic area at unexpected levels (Malaria, influenza, etc)
Epidemic - Answers -a disease that appears as new cases in a given population during
a given period of time, at a rate that substantially exceeds what is expected (measles
outbreak in NHL players)
Pandemic - Answers -a disease that is widespread over a large area (COVID-19)
Sporadic - Answers -occurs only occasionally in a population
Endemic - Answers -Is chickenpox an endemic or pandemic?
Sporadic - Answers -Is rabies sporadic or endemic?
Innate immunity - Answers -you are born with this type, is it not specific to any antigen
so it provides immediate response to foreign invaders in the body
Acquired immunity - Answers -Immunity that is present only after exposure and is
highly specific. Can be done naturally or artificially
Naturally acquired active immunity - Answers -occurs when person is exposed to a live
pathogen, develops the disease, and becomes immune as a result
Artificially acquired active immunity - Answers -can be induced by a vaccine, a
substance that contains the antigen to stimulate the primary immune response
Naturally acquired passive immunity - Answers -occurs during pregnancy, when certain
antibodies are passed from mother to fetus
Artificially acquired passive immunity - Answers -Short term immunization with infection
of antibodies to assist immune system in fighting off infection
Herd immunity - Answers -Striking a balance between number of people susceptible to
disease and number of people immune
Infectious agent is restricted to one host species and has relatively direct transmission,
infection must induce immunity, need random mixing of people - Answers -What are
the 3 main qualifiers for herd immunity?
Malaria as it is spread human to human via mosquito vector - Answers -What is an
example of a vector borne disease?
Latent period - Answers -The time between being exposed to a sufficient cause of
disease and being able to detect that disease state once its underway is called:
, Is habitually present in populations - Answers -Endemic means that a disease:
Incubation period - Answers -The time between being exposed to a sufficient cause of
disease and the onset of clinical signs is called the:
James Lind - Answers -The first randomized control trail to investigate the efficacy of
various treatments for scurvy was conducted by:
Bias - Answers -any systemic error in the design, conduct or analysis of a study that
results in a mistaken estimate of an exposures effect on the risk of disease
Careful study design, randomization and appropriate statistical approaches - Answers -
How can we address bias?
Selection, information and confounding - Answers -What are the 3 main types of bias?
Direct causation - Answers -a factor directly causes a disease without any intermediate
step
Indirect causation - Answers -a factor causes a disease but only through an
intermediate step
Necessary and sufficient, necessary but not sufficient, sufficient but not necessary,
neither sufficient nor necessary - Answers -What are the 4 types of casual
relationships?
The organism is always found with the disease, the organism is not found with any other
disease and the organism when isolated produces disease - Answers -What are the
postulates for causation?
A statistical relationship between 2 variables producing some sort of causal effect -
Answers -What is association?
Association implies that knowing one variable with supply information about another, but
does not mean one causes the other. Causation is a variable causing another variable -
Answers -How is association different from causation?
Through experiments where the outcomes of each group are studied - Answers -How
do we determine causation?
PAR - Answers -Population attributable risk
Selection bias - Answers -If the way in which cases and control individuals were
selected, is such that an apparent association is observed, the apparent association is
the result this type of bias
VERIFIED ACCURATE ANSWERS |2026
Epidemiology - Answers -the study of the frequency, distribution and determinants of
health and sieges populations, and the application of this study to control health
problems
Health - Answers -a state of complete physical, mental and social well being, and not
merely the absence of disease or infirmity
Disease - Answers -a derangement in the function of the whole body of the host or any
of its parts
Cholera - Answers -an acute diarrheal illness that causes death within hours if left
untreated
Primary prevention - Answers -this occurs before the onset of disease, where we try to
prevent the development of a disease altogether (often focuses on health promotion, ex,
condoms)
Secondary prevention - Answers -all about early detection of disease through
screening (looking for early signs of disease before it causes a problem) - stool or blood
tests, etc
Tertiary prevention - Answers -focuses on addressing the results of clinical illnesss in
order to lessen the impact of disease - focused on treatment of signs and symptoms of
disease (ex, taking advil to manage pain)
Dr. James Lind - Answers -conducted the first ever documented randomized controlled
trial to identify the cure for scurvy (cure was citrus fruits)
Sir Percival Pott - Answers -made one of the earliest accounts of a cause and effect
linkage for an occupational carcinogen (chimney sweeper cancer)
Horizontal transmission - Answers -transmission of an infectious agent between
members of the same species through indirect or direct contact
Vertical transmission - Answers -transmission of an infectious agent from mother to
embryo, fetus or baby, before during or just after pregnancy
Zoonotic disease - Answers -any disease/infection that is naturally transmissible from
vertebrate animals to man
,Vectors - Answers -responsible for transmitting disease from the original host or
reservoir to the second host (insects, etc)
Host is young and has undeveloped immune system and is experiencing new food and
bacteria for first time - Answers -What may explain more food borne disease in the very
young?
Host may be stressed, agent could be bacteria/virus living on common surfaces, and air
quality may be poor - Answers -What may explain more respiratory disease in cattle
housed in a barn rather than outside?
Pregnant women are more susceptible to food borne illness - Answers -What may
explain more food borne diseases in women?
This disease is from roundworms in pork and these people do not eat pork - Answers -
What would explain less trichinosis in Jewish and Muslim populations?
Infected - Answers -refers to a host that is invaded by microorganisms, the organisms
multiple and the hosts immune system responds
Diseased - Answers -refers to an infection that causes clinical signs/symptoms
Carriers - Answers -individuals who harbour an organism and are capable of spreading
the infectious agent but do not appear sick
Stage of susceptibility, stage of pre-symptomatic disease, stage of clinical disease,
stage of disability or recovery - Answers -What are the 4 key stages in the development
of disease?
Stage of susceptibility - Answers -a susceptible host is exposed to amount of agent that
is sufficient to cause disease
Stage of pre-symptomatic disease - Answers -as time progresses from the point of
exposure, changes in pathology of infected host will being (no symptoms yet)
Stage of clinical disease - Answers -more significant changes occurring in the body,
resulting in presentation of visible clinical signs and symptoms
Stage of disability/recovery - Answers -once clinical form has occurred, there is a
period of time when the individual may be treated after which the outcome will occur
Latent period - Answers -the time between being exposed to a sufficient cause of
disease and being able to detect that disease state once its underway
Incubation period - Answers -the time between being exposed to a sufficient cause of
disease and the onset of clinical signs
,Endemic - Answers -refers to a disease that is habitually present within a given
geographic area at unexpected levels (Malaria, influenza, etc)
Epidemic - Answers -a disease that appears as new cases in a given population during
a given period of time, at a rate that substantially exceeds what is expected (measles
outbreak in NHL players)
Pandemic - Answers -a disease that is widespread over a large area (COVID-19)
Sporadic - Answers -occurs only occasionally in a population
Endemic - Answers -Is chickenpox an endemic or pandemic?
Sporadic - Answers -Is rabies sporadic or endemic?
Innate immunity - Answers -you are born with this type, is it not specific to any antigen
so it provides immediate response to foreign invaders in the body
Acquired immunity - Answers -Immunity that is present only after exposure and is
highly specific. Can be done naturally or artificially
Naturally acquired active immunity - Answers -occurs when person is exposed to a live
pathogen, develops the disease, and becomes immune as a result
Artificially acquired active immunity - Answers -can be induced by a vaccine, a
substance that contains the antigen to stimulate the primary immune response
Naturally acquired passive immunity - Answers -occurs during pregnancy, when certain
antibodies are passed from mother to fetus
Artificially acquired passive immunity - Answers -Short term immunization with infection
of antibodies to assist immune system in fighting off infection
Herd immunity - Answers -Striking a balance between number of people susceptible to
disease and number of people immune
Infectious agent is restricted to one host species and has relatively direct transmission,
infection must induce immunity, need random mixing of people - Answers -What are
the 3 main qualifiers for herd immunity?
Malaria as it is spread human to human via mosquito vector - Answers -What is an
example of a vector borne disease?
Latent period - Answers -The time between being exposed to a sufficient cause of
disease and being able to detect that disease state once its underway is called:
, Is habitually present in populations - Answers -Endemic means that a disease:
Incubation period - Answers -The time between being exposed to a sufficient cause of
disease and the onset of clinical signs is called the:
James Lind - Answers -The first randomized control trail to investigate the efficacy of
various treatments for scurvy was conducted by:
Bias - Answers -any systemic error in the design, conduct or analysis of a study that
results in a mistaken estimate of an exposures effect on the risk of disease
Careful study design, randomization and appropriate statistical approaches - Answers -
How can we address bias?
Selection, information and confounding - Answers -What are the 3 main types of bias?
Direct causation - Answers -a factor directly causes a disease without any intermediate
step
Indirect causation - Answers -a factor causes a disease but only through an
intermediate step
Necessary and sufficient, necessary but not sufficient, sufficient but not necessary,
neither sufficient nor necessary - Answers -What are the 4 types of casual
relationships?
The organism is always found with the disease, the organism is not found with any other
disease and the organism when isolated produces disease - Answers -What are the
postulates for causation?
A statistical relationship between 2 variables producing some sort of causal effect -
Answers -What is association?
Association implies that knowing one variable with supply information about another, but
does not mean one causes the other. Causation is a variable causing another variable -
Answers -How is association different from causation?
Through experiments where the outcomes of each group are studied - Answers -How
do we determine causation?
PAR - Answers -Population attributable risk
Selection bias - Answers -If the way in which cases and control individuals were
selected, is such that an apparent association is observed, the apparent association is
the result this type of bias
