HSCI 130 MIDTERM 2 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Epidemiology - Answers - Study of distribution and determinant of health-related states
in specified populations, and application of study to control health problems
John Snow - Answers - First real epidemiologist. Documented water source to find
cause of cholera outbreak
5 W's - Answers - What, Who, Where, When, Why
Person/Host Factors - Answers - Not every person is susceptible. Factor examples:
personal factors born with, acquired host factors, transitory host factors, behaviours
Place/Environment Factors - Answers - Climate, diet, cultural practices, methods of food
preparation/storage, population, density, exposure to pollutants, insects and bugs
Time - Answers - How changed across time? how are diseases cyclical? seasonal?
time of day?
Agent - Answers - Nutritive, chemical, physical, infectious
Applications of Epidemiology - Answers - 1. identify cause of new syndrome
2. assess risks of exposures
3. determining whether treatment "X" is effective
4. identify health service use needs and trends
5. identify practical prevention strategies
Endemic - Answers - Cases are continually occurring in population
Pandemic - Answers - Epidemics that have spread beyond their local region and are
affecting people in various/all parts of the world
Epidemic - Answers - Outbreak of a disease in a localized group of people, spread by:
vectors, carriers, sudden introduction of new pathogen
Outbreak - Answers - Term used to avoid sensationalism associated with "Epidemic"
Counts - Answers - How many people?
Prevalence - Answers - Proportion of individuals in a population with the disease at a
given point in time. No units, proportion or percentage, reported as cases, time specific.
# of cases of disease/total population at point in time
Point Prevalence vs. Period Prevalence - Answers - Point- a given point in time
, Period- during specified time period
Use of Prevalence - Answers - Quantify proportion of people with disease, estimate the
probability of individual will have disease during a point in time, project health care
spending
Cumulative Incidence - Answers - Proportion of new cases during a specific time.
Estimate probability of getting disease. Exclude: already have disease and immune. #
new cases in time period/ # of people in population at risk at beginning of period
Incidence Rate - Answers - Measures rate of development of disease in a population. #
new cases during period/ # of person time when people were at risk of developing
disease
Cause - Answers - Anything alone, or in conjunction with other factors that influence an
illness/disease
Establishing Causation - Answers - Experiment: dose, repetition
Temporality: exposure must come first
Strength of Association: strong effect?
Biological Plausibility: what is the likely biological mechanism?
Consistency
Dose Effect (response)
Sufficient Cause - Answers - Factor that will inevitably produce disease
Component Cause - Answers - Factor that contributes towards disease causation but is
not sufficient to cause disease on its own
Necessary Cause - Answers - Any agent that is required for the development of a given
disease
Lifetime Risk - Answers - Cumulative lifetime incidence. 1 in every "X"
Crude Mortality - Answers - Overall incidence of death in a population. # new deaths/
average population during year
Mortality Rates - Answers - Age and gender specific
Infant Mortality Rate - Answers - # deaths in children (up to 1 year)/ # live birth in same
year. Expressed per 1000 live births
Standardized Mortality Rate - Answers - Weighted averages of age-specifics. Direct
standardization: age-specific disease/death rates in population of interest, age
distribution of "a" population
Epidemiology - Answers - Study of distribution and determinant of health-related states
in specified populations, and application of study to control health problems
John Snow - Answers - First real epidemiologist. Documented water source to find
cause of cholera outbreak
5 W's - Answers - What, Who, Where, When, Why
Person/Host Factors - Answers - Not every person is susceptible. Factor examples:
personal factors born with, acquired host factors, transitory host factors, behaviours
Place/Environment Factors - Answers - Climate, diet, cultural practices, methods of food
preparation/storage, population, density, exposure to pollutants, insects and bugs
Time - Answers - How changed across time? how are diseases cyclical? seasonal?
time of day?
Agent - Answers - Nutritive, chemical, physical, infectious
Applications of Epidemiology - Answers - 1. identify cause of new syndrome
2. assess risks of exposures
3. determining whether treatment "X" is effective
4. identify health service use needs and trends
5. identify practical prevention strategies
Endemic - Answers - Cases are continually occurring in population
Pandemic - Answers - Epidemics that have spread beyond their local region and are
affecting people in various/all parts of the world
Epidemic - Answers - Outbreak of a disease in a localized group of people, spread by:
vectors, carriers, sudden introduction of new pathogen
Outbreak - Answers - Term used to avoid sensationalism associated with "Epidemic"
Counts - Answers - How many people?
Prevalence - Answers - Proportion of individuals in a population with the disease at a
given point in time. No units, proportion or percentage, reported as cases, time specific.
# of cases of disease/total population at point in time
Point Prevalence vs. Period Prevalence - Answers - Point- a given point in time
, Period- during specified time period
Use of Prevalence - Answers - Quantify proportion of people with disease, estimate the
probability of individual will have disease during a point in time, project health care
spending
Cumulative Incidence - Answers - Proportion of new cases during a specific time.
Estimate probability of getting disease. Exclude: already have disease and immune. #
new cases in time period/ # of people in population at risk at beginning of period
Incidence Rate - Answers - Measures rate of development of disease in a population. #
new cases during period/ # of person time when people were at risk of developing
disease
Cause - Answers - Anything alone, or in conjunction with other factors that influence an
illness/disease
Establishing Causation - Answers - Experiment: dose, repetition
Temporality: exposure must come first
Strength of Association: strong effect?
Biological Plausibility: what is the likely biological mechanism?
Consistency
Dose Effect (response)
Sufficient Cause - Answers - Factor that will inevitably produce disease
Component Cause - Answers - Factor that contributes towards disease causation but is
not sufficient to cause disease on its own
Necessary Cause - Answers - Any agent that is required for the development of a given
disease
Lifetime Risk - Answers - Cumulative lifetime incidence. 1 in every "X"
Crude Mortality - Answers - Overall incidence of death in a population. # new deaths/
average population during year
Mortality Rates - Answers - Age and gender specific
Infant Mortality Rate - Answers - # deaths in children (up to 1 year)/ # live birth in same
year. Expressed per 1000 live births
Standardized Mortality Rate - Answers - Weighted averages of age-specifics. Direct
standardization: age-specific disease/death rates in population of interest, age
distribution of "a" population
