NR 503 Population Health, Epidemiology &
Statistical Principles | Chamberlain
1. Which of the following best defines the concept of ‘Incidence’ in a population health
study?
A. The number of existing cases of a disease at a specific point in time.
B. The number of new cases of a disease that occur in a population over a specific period.
C. The total number of deaths caused by a specific condition over a year.
D. The proportion of the population that has ever been diagnosed with the disease.
Answer: B
Rationale: Incidence measures the frequency with which a new event, such as a new case
of a disease, occurs in a population over a period of time. This is distinct from prevalence,
which looks at all cases regardless of when they started. Accurate incidence data is
essential for understanding the risk of developing a condition within a specific community.
2. When evaluating a diagnostic test, what does the term ‘Specificity’ refer to?
A. The probability that a patient with a positive test result actually has the disease.
B. The ability of the test to correctly identify those who actually have the disease.
C. The ability of the test to correctly identify those who do not have the disease.
D. The consistency of the test results when repeated under the same conditions.
,Answer: C
Rationale: Specificity is the proportion of people without the disease who will have a
negative test result. High specificity is important to minimize the number of false positives,
which can lead to unnecessary anxiety and further testing. It is a critical metric for
determining the clinical utility of a diagnostic tool.
3. A researcher is studying the relationship between smoking and lung cancer by comparing a
group of smokers to a group of non-smokers over 10 years. What type of study design is this?
A. Case-Control Study
B. Cross-Sectional Study
C. Cohort Study
D. Randomized Controlled Trial
Answer: C
Rationale: A cohort study follows a group of people who share a common characteristic or
exposure over time to see how it affects the development of an outcome. This longitudinal
approach allows researchers to calculate incidence and relative risk directly. It is generally
more expensive and time-consuming than case-control studies but provides stronger
evidence of temporality.
4. What is the primary goal of Tertiary Prevention?
A. To prevent the initial onset of disease through risk reduction and health promotion.
B. To detect and treat disease in its early stages before symptoms appear.
, C. To manage and rehabilitate individuals with established disease to improve quality of
life.
D. To provide immunizations to large populations to achieve herd immunity.
Answer: C
Rationale: Tertiary prevention focuses on people who are already symptomatic and have
an established diagnosis. The aim is to reduce the impact of the disease, prevent
complications, and maximize the patient’s functional capacity. Common examples include
physical therapy for stroke patients or chronic disease management programs for diabetes.
5. In statistics, a Type I error occurs when:
A. The researcher rejects a true null hypothesis.
B. The researcher fails to reject a false null hypothesis.
C. The sample size is too small to detect a significant difference.
D. The p-value is greater than the alpha level of 0.05.
Answer: A
Rationale: A Type I error is often described as a ‘false positive’ in hypothesis testing. It
happens when the researcher concludes there is a significant effect or difference when one
does not actually exist in the population. Controlling for the alpha level, usually set at 0.05,
helps minimize the risk of making this specific error.