MPH 6011 Midterm Exam 2026 – Study Guide and Practice Questions
prevalence formula - correct answer ✔✔ (old+new)/total population
prevalence - correct answer ✔✔ -a slice though the population at a point in time at which we
determine who has the disease and who does not
-a good measure when a difficult to know when a person became a case
point prevalence (snapshot) - correct answer ✔✔ frequency of existing disease/ condition at a
certain point in time
period prevalence - correct answer ✔✔ frequency of existing disease during a defined time
period
prevalence is affected by .... - correct answer ✔✔ incidence and duration
if the disease has a short duration - correct answer ✔✔ prevalence ~=incidence
if a disease has a long duration - correct answer ✔✔ prevalence>incidence
in general... - correct answer ✔✔ high incidence results in higher prevalence; longer duration
results in higher prevalence
surveillance - correct answer ✔✔ the ongoing systematic collection, analysis, interpretation,
and dissemination of health data in a timely manner or other urgent health events
-Identify outbreaks or other urgent health events
-Informs implementation of control measures
,-Evaluates implemented public health measures
-Monitors progress towards key health indicators
-Identifies trends in health outcomes, indicators, and risks (environmental and behavioral)
-Suggest topics for future research
CDC ArboNET - correct answer ✔✔ a passive national arboviral surveillance system managed by
CDC and state health departments. maintains data on arboviral infections among presumptive
viremic blood donors, veterinary disease cases, mosquitoes, dead birds, and sentinel animals
NCI seer (national cancer institute)(surveillance, epidemiology, and end result) - correct answer
✔✔ Collects and publishes cancer incidence and survival data from population-based cancer
registries covering 34.6% of US population
Only comprehensive source of population-based information in the US that includes stage of
cancer at the time of diagnosis and patient survival data.
Mortality data provided by the National Center for Health Statistics; population data used in
calculating rates is obtained periodically from the Census Bureau.
Updated annually and provided as a public service to researchers, clinicians, public health
officials, legislators, policymakers, community groups, and the public.
active surveillance - correct answer ✔✔ a system in which project staff make periodic fields
visits to health care facilities to identify new cases of a disease or death from the diseases that
have occurred
sentinel surveillance - correct answer ✔✔ Surveillance based on selected population (or clinic)
samples chosen to represent the relevant experience of particular groups.
Useful in dealing with sensitive issues (HIV) or for the early detection of infections (influence)
May include enhanced or more detailed data or types of data (e.g. swabs for ILI).
May include the use of animal sentinels to detect circulation of arboviruses
,serial surveys - correct answer ✔✔ Cross-sectional surveys that are routinely conducted
challenges/problems with serial survey data - correct answer ✔✔ -relies on self report
-interviewer bias
-no single case definition
Healthy People Initiative - correct answer ✔✔ Epidemiologic-based 10-year national sets of
objectives for improving health
Identify national health improvement priorities
Increase public awareness of health
Provide measurable objectives and goals
Engage multiple sectors to take action
Identify research, evaluation, and data collection needs
healthy people 2020 topic areas - correct answer ✔✔ -access to health services
-clinical preventive services
-environmental quality
-injury and prevention
-maternal/infant/child health
-mental health
-nutrition, physical activity, and obesity
-oral health
-reproductive and sexual health
-social determinants
-substances use
-tobacco
, secular trends - correct answer ✔✔ represent long term changes in health related status or
events
short term trends - correct answer ✔✔ usually brief, unexpected increases in health related
states or events; epidemic
cyclic trends - correct answer ✔✔ represent periodic increases and decreases in the occurrence
of health-related states or events; seasonal
crude rate - correct answer ✔✔ calculated without any restrictions on who is counted in the
numerator and denominator
age-adjusted rates - correct answer ✔✔ uses weighted averages of age specific rates, where the
weights are from a standard population
age adjusted rates are... - correct answer ✔✔ -hypothetical
-should be used for comparison purposes only
-only relative to the other adjusted rate
-sex and race can be adjusted with age
methods for age adjusted rate - correct answer ✔✔ direct and indirect
direct age adjustment - correct answer ✔✔ 1.) Multiply the age-specific standard population by
the age-specific rates (as decimal) to get the expected number of cases for each age group,
assuming they had the same age distribution as the standard population. These expected
counts are then summed and divided by the total standard population
2.)Multiply the age-specific standard population weight by the age-specific rates (as per
100,000) to get the expected rate for each age group, assuming they had the same age
prevalence formula - correct answer ✔✔ (old+new)/total population
prevalence - correct answer ✔✔ -a slice though the population at a point in time at which we
determine who has the disease and who does not
-a good measure when a difficult to know when a person became a case
point prevalence (snapshot) - correct answer ✔✔ frequency of existing disease/ condition at a
certain point in time
period prevalence - correct answer ✔✔ frequency of existing disease during a defined time
period
prevalence is affected by .... - correct answer ✔✔ incidence and duration
if the disease has a short duration - correct answer ✔✔ prevalence ~=incidence
if a disease has a long duration - correct answer ✔✔ prevalence>incidence
in general... - correct answer ✔✔ high incidence results in higher prevalence; longer duration
results in higher prevalence
surveillance - correct answer ✔✔ the ongoing systematic collection, analysis, interpretation,
and dissemination of health data in a timely manner or other urgent health events
-Identify outbreaks or other urgent health events
-Informs implementation of control measures
,-Evaluates implemented public health measures
-Monitors progress towards key health indicators
-Identifies trends in health outcomes, indicators, and risks (environmental and behavioral)
-Suggest topics for future research
CDC ArboNET - correct answer ✔✔ a passive national arboviral surveillance system managed by
CDC and state health departments. maintains data on arboviral infections among presumptive
viremic blood donors, veterinary disease cases, mosquitoes, dead birds, and sentinel animals
NCI seer (national cancer institute)(surveillance, epidemiology, and end result) - correct answer
✔✔ Collects and publishes cancer incidence and survival data from population-based cancer
registries covering 34.6% of US population
Only comprehensive source of population-based information in the US that includes stage of
cancer at the time of diagnosis and patient survival data.
Mortality data provided by the National Center for Health Statistics; population data used in
calculating rates is obtained periodically from the Census Bureau.
Updated annually and provided as a public service to researchers, clinicians, public health
officials, legislators, policymakers, community groups, and the public.
active surveillance - correct answer ✔✔ a system in which project staff make periodic fields
visits to health care facilities to identify new cases of a disease or death from the diseases that
have occurred
sentinel surveillance - correct answer ✔✔ Surveillance based on selected population (or clinic)
samples chosen to represent the relevant experience of particular groups.
Useful in dealing with sensitive issues (HIV) or for the early detection of infections (influence)
May include enhanced or more detailed data or types of data (e.g. swabs for ILI).
May include the use of animal sentinels to detect circulation of arboviruses
,serial surveys - correct answer ✔✔ Cross-sectional surveys that are routinely conducted
challenges/problems with serial survey data - correct answer ✔✔ -relies on self report
-interviewer bias
-no single case definition
Healthy People Initiative - correct answer ✔✔ Epidemiologic-based 10-year national sets of
objectives for improving health
Identify national health improvement priorities
Increase public awareness of health
Provide measurable objectives and goals
Engage multiple sectors to take action
Identify research, evaluation, and data collection needs
healthy people 2020 topic areas - correct answer ✔✔ -access to health services
-clinical preventive services
-environmental quality
-injury and prevention
-maternal/infant/child health
-mental health
-nutrition, physical activity, and obesity
-oral health
-reproductive and sexual health
-social determinants
-substances use
-tobacco
, secular trends - correct answer ✔✔ represent long term changes in health related status or
events
short term trends - correct answer ✔✔ usually brief, unexpected increases in health related
states or events; epidemic
cyclic trends - correct answer ✔✔ represent periodic increases and decreases in the occurrence
of health-related states or events; seasonal
crude rate - correct answer ✔✔ calculated without any restrictions on who is counted in the
numerator and denominator
age-adjusted rates - correct answer ✔✔ uses weighted averages of age specific rates, where the
weights are from a standard population
age adjusted rates are... - correct answer ✔✔ -hypothetical
-should be used for comparison purposes only
-only relative to the other adjusted rate
-sex and race can be adjusted with age
methods for age adjusted rate - correct answer ✔✔ direct and indirect
direct age adjustment - correct answer ✔✔ 1.) Multiply the age-specific standard population by
the age-specific rates (as decimal) to get the expected number of cases for each age group,
assuming they had the same age distribution as the standard population. These expected
counts are then summed and divided by the total standard population
2.)Multiply the age-specific standard population weight by the age-specific rates (as per
100,000) to get the expected rate for each age group, assuming they had the same age
