WGU D589 CHRONIC AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES
OBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT V1 — 100 ORIGINAL
PRACTICE QUESTIONS, CORRECT ANSWERS &
RATIONALES | HLTH 3600 | 2026 UPDATED
.
1. Epidemiology, Disease Burden, Prevention & Public Health Foundations
1. Which characteristic best distinguishes a chronic disease from most acute infectious
illnesses?
A) It generally develops or persists over an extended period
B) It is always caused by a bacterium
C) It can never be prevented
D) It affects only older adults
Correct Answer: It generally develops or persists over an extended period
Rationale: Chronic diseases generally persist for long periods and arise through combinations
of genetic, physiological, behavioral, and environmental influences. They include
cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases. Chronic does not
mean inevitable or limited to older adults. Many chronic conditions can be prevented,
delayed, detected early, or effectively managed through appropriate interventions.
2. Which measure describes the number of existing cases of a disease in a population at a
specified time?
A) Incidence
B) Prevalence
C) Case-fatality rate
D) Mortality ratio
Correct Answer: Prevalence
Rationale: Prevalence represents existing disease in a population at a particular time or over
a defined period. Incidence measures newly occurring cases. Prevalence is influenced by both
disease occurrence and disease duration, making it especially useful for understanding the
overall burden of chronic conditions that may persist for many years.
3. A community records newly diagnosed cases of hypertension during a calendar year.
Which epidemiologic measure is being calculated?
A) Point prevalence
B) Period prevalence
,C) Incidence
D) Case-fatality proportion
Correct Answer: Incidence
Rationale: Incidence focuses on new cases arising in a population during a specified period.
Because the community is counting newly diagnosed hypertension cases during one calendar
year, incidence is the appropriate measure. Prevalence would include people who already
had hypertension at the beginning of the observation period.
4. Which factor is considered a major modifiable risk factor shared by many
noncommunicable diseases?
A) Tobacco use
B) Genetic inheritance
C) Chronologic age
D) Biological sex
Correct Answer: Tobacco use
Rationale: Tobacco use is a major modifiable risk factor associated with cardiovascular
disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory disease. Age, genetics, and biological
characteristics may influence risk but generally cannot be modified. Current CDC guidance
identifies tobacco use, poor nutrition, physical inactivity, and excessive alcohol use among
important chronic-disease risk factors.
5. Why is prevalence particularly useful when planning services for chronic disease?
A) It identifies only fatal illnesses
B) It measures only newly diagnosed cases
C) It eliminates the influence of disease duration
D) It estimates how many people are living with the condition
Correct Answer: It estimates how many people are living with the condition
Rationale: Prevalence provides an estimate of the number or proportion of people living with
a condition. This is valuable when planning long-term services, medications, monitoring,
rehabilitation, and support programs. Chronic diseases can remain present for years, so the
existing caseload may be substantially larger than the number of newly diagnosed cases.
6. Which level of prevention focuses on preventing disease before it occurs?
A) Primary prevention
B) Secondary prevention
C) Tertiary prevention
D) Quaternary prevention
Correct Answer: Primary prevention
,Rationale: Primary prevention seeks to prevent disease onset. Examples include vaccination,
smoking prevention, physical activity promotion, healthy nutrition, and interventions that
reduce exposure to disease-causing hazards. Secondary prevention focuses on early
detection, while tertiary prevention aims to reduce complications and disability after disease
has developed.
7. A screening program identifies individuals with early-stage disease before symptoms
appear. Which prevention level does this represent?
A) Primary prevention
B) Secondary prevention
C) Tertiary prevention
D) Rehabilitation
Correct Answer: Secondary prevention
Rationale: Secondary prevention emphasizes early detection and prompt intervention.
Screening programs are classic examples because they seek to identify disease or precursors
before substantial symptoms or complications occur. The goal is to improve outcomes by
recognizing disease early rather than preventing exposure or managing established
disability.
8. Which statement best explains why chronic diseases create substantial public-health
costs?
A) They are always infectious
B) They require only emergency treatment
C) They frequently require prolonged management and follow-up
D) They affect only hospitalized populations
Correct Answer: They frequently require prolonged management and follow-up
Rationale: Chronic diseases often require continuing medications, monitoring, lifestyle
modification, preventive services, rehabilitation, and management of complications. These
needs can extend for decades. The long duration of chronic illness contributes to healthcare
utilization, lost productivity, disability, and financial burden for individuals, families,
healthcare systems, and communities.
9. What is the most appropriate public-health interpretation of a high disease prevalence?
A) Many people currently live with the condition
B) The disease necessarily has a high mortality rate
C) The condition must have a high incidence
D) The disease is necessarily infectious
Correct Answer: Many people currently live with the condition
Rationale: High prevalence means a substantial proportion of the population has the disease
or condition at the measurement point or during the defined period. It does not
, automatically indicate high mortality or high incidence. Prevalence can be high because
many new cases occur, because people survive longer, or because the disease persists for a
long time.
10. Which public-health strategy most directly reduces exposure to a modifiable chronic-
disease risk factor?
A) Increasing hospital beds
B) Promoting tobacco cessation
C) Expanding intensive-care services
D) Increasing diagnostic imaging
Correct Answer: Promoting tobacco cessation
Rationale: Tobacco cessation directly addresses a major modifiable risk factor. Preventing
tobacco exposure and helping current users stop can reduce the risk of cardiovascular
disease, cancer, diabetes, respiratory disease, and premature death. Hospital capacity and
diagnostic services may be important for treatment but do not directly remove tobacco
exposure from the population.
11. What is a principal reason surveillance systems are important for disease control?
A) They eliminate all disease transmission
B) They replace clinical diagnosis
C) They provide information for detecting trends and guiding action
D) They guarantee treatment adherence
Correct Answer: They provide information for detecting trends and guiding action
Rationale: Surveillance systematically collects, analyzes, interprets, and communicates
health information. Public-health authorities can use surveillance to identify trends,
recognize outbreaks, allocate resources, evaluate interventions, and detect changes in
disease patterns. Surveillance does not itself eliminate transmission or replace clinical
assessment.
12. A rising incidence of a preventable disease would most directly suggest that public-
health officials should examine which issue?
A) Whether prevention and control strategies are working
B) Whether hospital parking is adequate
C) Whether medical records are alphabetized
D) Whether unrelated chronic conditions have increased
Correct Answer: Whether prevention and control strategies are working
Rationale: Rising incidence indicates that new cases are occurring at a higher rate. Public-
health officials should investigate potential changes in exposure, transmission, vaccination,
screening, behavior, surveillance, or intervention effectiveness. Understanding why incidence
is increasing allows prevention strategies to be strengthened or redirected.
OBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT V1 — 100 ORIGINAL
PRACTICE QUESTIONS, CORRECT ANSWERS &
RATIONALES | HLTH 3600 | 2026 UPDATED
.
1. Epidemiology, Disease Burden, Prevention & Public Health Foundations
1. Which characteristic best distinguishes a chronic disease from most acute infectious
illnesses?
A) It generally develops or persists over an extended period
B) It is always caused by a bacterium
C) It can never be prevented
D) It affects only older adults
Correct Answer: It generally develops or persists over an extended period
Rationale: Chronic diseases generally persist for long periods and arise through combinations
of genetic, physiological, behavioral, and environmental influences. They include
cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases. Chronic does not
mean inevitable or limited to older adults. Many chronic conditions can be prevented,
delayed, detected early, or effectively managed through appropriate interventions.
2. Which measure describes the number of existing cases of a disease in a population at a
specified time?
A) Incidence
B) Prevalence
C) Case-fatality rate
D) Mortality ratio
Correct Answer: Prevalence
Rationale: Prevalence represents existing disease in a population at a particular time or over
a defined period. Incidence measures newly occurring cases. Prevalence is influenced by both
disease occurrence and disease duration, making it especially useful for understanding the
overall burden of chronic conditions that may persist for many years.
3. A community records newly diagnosed cases of hypertension during a calendar year.
Which epidemiologic measure is being calculated?
A) Point prevalence
B) Period prevalence
,C) Incidence
D) Case-fatality proportion
Correct Answer: Incidence
Rationale: Incidence focuses on new cases arising in a population during a specified period.
Because the community is counting newly diagnosed hypertension cases during one calendar
year, incidence is the appropriate measure. Prevalence would include people who already
had hypertension at the beginning of the observation period.
4. Which factor is considered a major modifiable risk factor shared by many
noncommunicable diseases?
A) Tobacco use
B) Genetic inheritance
C) Chronologic age
D) Biological sex
Correct Answer: Tobacco use
Rationale: Tobacco use is a major modifiable risk factor associated with cardiovascular
disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory disease. Age, genetics, and biological
characteristics may influence risk but generally cannot be modified. Current CDC guidance
identifies tobacco use, poor nutrition, physical inactivity, and excessive alcohol use among
important chronic-disease risk factors.
5. Why is prevalence particularly useful when planning services for chronic disease?
A) It identifies only fatal illnesses
B) It measures only newly diagnosed cases
C) It eliminates the influence of disease duration
D) It estimates how many people are living with the condition
Correct Answer: It estimates how many people are living with the condition
Rationale: Prevalence provides an estimate of the number or proportion of people living with
a condition. This is valuable when planning long-term services, medications, monitoring,
rehabilitation, and support programs. Chronic diseases can remain present for years, so the
existing caseload may be substantially larger than the number of newly diagnosed cases.
6. Which level of prevention focuses on preventing disease before it occurs?
A) Primary prevention
B) Secondary prevention
C) Tertiary prevention
D) Quaternary prevention
Correct Answer: Primary prevention
,Rationale: Primary prevention seeks to prevent disease onset. Examples include vaccination,
smoking prevention, physical activity promotion, healthy nutrition, and interventions that
reduce exposure to disease-causing hazards. Secondary prevention focuses on early
detection, while tertiary prevention aims to reduce complications and disability after disease
has developed.
7. A screening program identifies individuals with early-stage disease before symptoms
appear. Which prevention level does this represent?
A) Primary prevention
B) Secondary prevention
C) Tertiary prevention
D) Rehabilitation
Correct Answer: Secondary prevention
Rationale: Secondary prevention emphasizes early detection and prompt intervention.
Screening programs are classic examples because they seek to identify disease or precursors
before substantial symptoms or complications occur. The goal is to improve outcomes by
recognizing disease early rather than preventing exposure or managing established
disability.
8. Which statement best explains why chronic diseases create substantial public-health
costs?
A) They are always infectious
B) They require only emergency treatment
C) They frequently require prolonged management and follow-up
D) They affect only hospitalized populations
Correct Answer: They frequently require prolonged management and follow-up
Rationale: Chronic diseases often require continuing medications, monitoring, lifestyle
modification, preventive services, rehabilitation, and management of complications. These
needs can extend for decades. The long duration of chronic illness contributes to healthcare
utilization, lost productivity, disability, and financial burden for individuals, families,
healthcare systems, and communities.
9. What is the most appropriate public-health interpretation of a high disease prevalence?
A) Many people currently live with the condition
B) The disease necessarily has a high mortality rate
C) The condition must have a high incidence
D) The disease is necessarily infectious
Correct Answer: Many people currently live with the condition
Rationale: High prevalence means a substantial proportion of the population has the disease
or condition at the measurement point or during the defined period. It does not
, automatically indicate high mortality or high incidence. Prevalence can be high because
many new cases occur, because people survive longer, or because the disease persists for a
long time.
10. Which public-health strategy most directly reduces exposure to a modifiable chronic-
disease risk factor?
A) Increasing hospital beds
B) Promoting tobacco cessation
C) Expanding intensive-care services
D) Increasing diagnostic imaging
Correct Answer: Promoting tobacco cessation
Rationale: Tobacco cessation directly addresses a major modifiable risk factor. Preventing
tobacco exposure and helping current users stop can reduce the risk of cardiovascular
disease, cancer, diabetes, respiratory disease, and premature death. Hospital capacity and
diagnostic services may be important for treatment but do not directly remove tobacco
exposure from the population.
11. What is a principal reason surveillance systems are important for disease control?
A) They eliminate all disease transmission
B) They replace clinical diagnosis
C) They provide information for detecting trends and guiding action
D) They guarantee treatment adherence
Correct Answer: They provide information for detecting trends and guiding action
Rationale: Surveillance systematically collects, analyzes, interprets, and communicates
health information. Public-health authorities can use surveillance to identify trends,
recognize outbreaks, allocate resources, evaluate interventions, and detect changes in
disease patterns. Surveillance does not itself eliminate transmission or replace clinical
assessment.
12. A rising incidence of a preventable disease would most directly suggest that public-
health officials should examine which issue?
A) Whether prevention and control strategies are working
B) Whether hospital parking is adequate
C) Whether medical records are alphabetized
D) Whether unrelated chronic conditions have increased
Correct Answer: Whether prevention and control strategies are working
Rationale: Rising incidence indicates that new cases are occurring at a higher rate. Public-
health officials should investigate potential changes in exposure, transmission, vaccination,
screening, behavior, surveillance, or intervention effectiveness. Understanding why incidence
is increasing allows prevention strategies to be strengthened or redirected.
