POPM 3240 EXAM PREP | VERIFIED ACCURATE
STUDY GUIDE | 2026
Epidemiology - Answers -study of the FREQUENCY, DISTRIBUTION and
DETERMINANTS of health and disease, and the application of this to CONTROL health
problems
Health - Answers -State of physical, mental, social well-being, not merely the absence
of disease
Disease - Answers -derangement in function of the whole body of the host or any of its
parts
Primary Prevention - Answers -occurs before the onset of disease, focuses on
education and protection
Secondary Prevention - Answers -early detection of the disease through screening
Tertiary Prevention - Answers -addressing results of clinical illness in order to lessen
impact of the disease
Who is Dr. James Lind - Answers -Conducted first ever randomized control study to
develop treatment for scurvy
Who is sir P. Pott - Answers -Made earliest account of cause and effect linkage for an
occupational carcinogen in chimney sweeps
What are the components of the epidemiological triad - Answers -Host, agent,
environment: combination of the three determines impact of disease
Direct-horizontal transmission - Answers -between members of the same species from
person-person
Indirect-horizontal transmission - Answers -between members of the same species
through ingestion, aerial via fomites or latrogenic (via medical exam/ treatments)
Vertical transmission - Answers -from mother to embryo
List the 4 stages of disease development - Answers -(1) susceptibility (2) pre-
symptomatic disease (3) clinical disease (4) disability/ recovery
Latent Period - Answers -Time between exposure and being able to detect disease
(between stage 1 and 2 of disease development)
, Incubation Period - Answers -Time between being exposed and onset of clinical signs
(between stages 1-3 of disease development)
Endemic - Answers -habitually present at an expected level
Epidemic - Answers -disease that appears as new cases at a rate which exceeds
what's normally expected
Pandemic - Answers -disease that is widespread over a large area (worldwide)
Sporadic - Answers -only occurs occasionally
Innate immunity - Answers -natural (skin, white blood cells, stomach acid)
Naturally acquired active immunity - Answers -when a person is exposed to a live
pathogen, develops disease and becomes immune via primary immune response
Naturally acquired passive immunity - Answers -during pregnancy
Artificially acquired active immunity - Answers -induced by vaccines which stimulates
primary response without causing symptoms
Artificially acquired passive immunity - Answers -short-term immunization with an
injection of antibodies
Herd immunity - Answers -balance between number of people susceptible to disease
and the number of people not susceptible - infectious agent has to be restricted to one
host species and relatively direct, infectious must induce solid immunity and you need
random mixing of individuals
Bias - Answers -systemic error in design, conduct or analysis of a study that results in
the mistaken estimate of an exposures effect on the risk of disease
Random error - Answers -due to sample/ chance and can be fixed with an increase in
sample size
Direct Causation - Answers -indicates a factor directly causes a disease or health
outcome without any steps in between
Indirect Causation - Answers -indicates a factor causes disease but requires an
intermediate step
3 types of Bias - Answers -selection, information, confounding
STUDY GUIDE | 2026
Epidemiology - Answers -study of the FREQUENCY, DISTRIBUTION and
DETERMINANTS of health and disease, and the application of this to CONTROL health
problems
Health - Answers -State of physical, mental, social well-being, not merely the absence
of disease
Disease - Answers -derangement in function of the whole body of the host or any of its
parts
Primary Prevention - Answers -occurs before the onset of disease, focuses on
education and protection
Secondary Prevention - Answers -early detection of the disease through screening
Tertiary Prevention - Answers -addressing results of clinical illness in order to lessen
impact of the disease
Who is Dr. James Lind - Answers -Conducted first ever randomized control study to
develop treatment for scurvy
Who is sir P. Pott - Answers -Made earliest account of cause and effect linkage for an
occupational carcinogen in chimney sweeps
What are the components of the epidemiological triad - Answers -Host, agent,
environment: combination of the three determines impact of disease
Direct-horizontal transmission - Answers -between members of the same species from
person-person
Indirect-horizontal transmission - Answers -between members of the same species
through ingestion, aerial via fomites or latrogenic (via medical exam/ treatments)
Vertical transmission - Answers -from mother to embryo
List the 4 stages of disease development - Answers -(1) susceptibility (2) pre-
symptomatic disease (3) clinical disease (4) disability/ recovery
Latent Period - Answers -Time between exposure and being able to detect disease
(between stage 1 and 2 of disease development)
, Incubation Period - Answers -Time between being exposed and onset of clinical signs
(between stages 1-3 of disease development)
Endemic - Answers -habitually present at an expected level
Epidemic - Answers -disease that appears as new cases at a rate which exceeds
what's normally expected
Pandemic - Answers -disease that is widespread over a large area (worldwide)
Sporadic - Answers -only occurs occasionally
Innate immunity - Answers -natural (skin, white blood cells, stomach acid)
Naturally acquired active immunity - Answers -when a person is exposed to a live
pathogen, develops disease and becomes immune via primary immune response
Naturally acquired passive immunity - Answers -during pregnancy
Artificially acquired active immunity - Answers -induced by vaccines which stimulates
primary response without causing symptoms
Artificially acquired passive immunity - Answers -short-term immunization with an
injection of antibodies
Herd immunity - Answers -balance between number of people susceptible to disease
and the number of people not susceptible - infectious agent has to be restricted to one
host species and relatively direct, infectious must induce solid immunity and you need
random mixing of individuals
Bias - Answers -systemic error in design, conduct or analysis of a study that results in
the mistaken estimate of an exposures effect on the risk of disease
Random error - Answers -due to sample/ chance and can be fixed with an increase in
sample size
Direct Causation - Answers -indicates a factor directly causes a disease or health
outcome without any steps in between
Indirect Causation - Answers -indicates a factor causes disease but requires an
intermediate step
3 types of Bias - Answers -selection, information, confounding
