,D450 COMMUNITY HEALTH AND POPULATION-FOCUSED NURSING
Original OA-Style Practice Questions 1–20
Answers & Detailed Rationales — 2026/2027 Preparation
QUESTION 1
A community health nurse is conducting a community assessment. Which information is
considered primary data?
A. Census population statistics
B. Hospital admission records
C. Interviews conducted with community residents
D. Previously published epidemiologic reports
Correct Answer: C
Rationale:
Primary data are collected directly by the person or organization conducting the assessment.
Interviews, surveys, observations, and focus groups are examples. Census records and
previously published reports are secondary data.
QUESTION 2
Which activity best represents the primary prevention level of community health nursing?
A. Providing rehabilitation after a stroke
B. Conducting blood-pressure screening
C. Teaching adolescents about strategies to prevent tobacco use
D. Providing physical therapy after an injury
Correct Answer: C
Rationale:
Primary prevention aims to prevent disease or injury before it occurs. Tobacco-use prevention
education is therefore primary prevention. Screening is secondary prevention, while
rehabilitation is tertiary prevention.
QUESTION 3
,A community has a high rate of type 2 diabetes. Which intervention is most appropriate as a
population-focused primary prevention strategy?
A. Establish community programs promoting healthy nutrition and physical activity
B. Provide dialysis to residents with kidney failure
C. Refer clients with complications to specialists
D. Provide wound care to clients with diabetic ulcers
Correct Answer: A
Rationale:
Population-based nutrition and physical-activity programs address modifiable risk factors before
disease or complications develop. Dialysis and wound care are tertiary interventions.
QUESTION 4
A nurse is calculating the incidence of influenza in a community. Which population is
represented in the denominator?
A. All residents who have ever had influenza
B. Existing influenza cases at the beginning of the year
C. New influenza cases occurring during the specified period divided by the population at risk
D. Residents who received influenza treatment
Correct Answer: C
Rationale:
Incidence measures new cases occurring in a population at risk during a specified period.
Prevalence, by contrast, describes existing cases in a population at a particular time or over a
specified period.
QUESTION 5
Which statement best describes prevalence?
A. The number of new cases occurring during a specified period
B. The proportion of a population with a disease at a given time or period
C. The number of deaths caused by a disease
D. The percentage of exposed people who develop symptoms immediately
Correct Answer: B
, Rationale:
Prevalence reflects the total burden of existing disease in a population at a particular point in
time or during a defined period. It includes both previously diagnosed and newly identified
cases.
QUESTION 6
A community health nurse identifies a neighborhood with unusually high rates of asthma
among children. Which action should the nurse take first?
A. Immediately close local businesses
B. Conduct a community assessment to identify potential contributing factors
C. Tell families to relocate
D. Begin distributing antibiotics
Correct Answer: B
Rationale:
Before implementing an intervention, the nurse should assess the problem and identify
potential environmental, social, behavioral, and healthcare-related contributors. Assessment
provides the evidence needed to select an appropriate intervention.
QUESTION 7
A nurse is assessing a community's built environment. Which observation is most relevant?
A. Residents' religious beliefs
B. Availability of sidewalks and safe recreational spaces
C. Average household income only
D. Number of residents with chronic diseases
Correct Answer: B
Rationale:
The built environment includes physical structures and features of a community, such as
housing, transportation systems, sidewalks, parks, and recreational spaces. These factors can
influence physical activity and health outcomes.
QUESTION 8
Original OA-Style Practice Questions 1–20
Answers & Detailed Rationales — 2026/2027 Preparation
QUESTION 1
A community health nurse is conducting a community assessment. Which information is
considered primary data?
A. Census population statistics
B. Hospital admission records
C. Interviews conducted with community residents
D. Previously published epidemiologic reports
Correct Answer: C
Rationale:
Primary data are collected directly by the person or organization conducting the assessment.
Interviews, surveys, observations, and focus groups are examples. Census records and
previously published reports are secondary data.
QUESTION 2
Which activity best represents the primary prevention level of community health nursing?
A. Providing rehabilitation after a stroke
B. Conducting blood-pressure screening
C. Teaching adolescents about strategies to prevent tobacco use
D. Providing physical therapy after an injury
Correct Answer: C
Rationale:
Primary prevention aims to prevent disease or injury before it occurs. Tobacco-use prevention
education is therefore primary prevention. Screening is secondary prevention, while
rehabilitation is tertiary prevention.
QUESTION 3
,A community has a high rate of type 2 diabetes. Which intervention is most appropriate as a
population-focused primary prevention strategy?
A. Establish community programs promoting healthy nutrition and physical activity
B. Provide dialysis to residents with kidney failure
C. Refer clients with complications to specialists
D. Provide wound care to clients with diabetic ulcers
Correct Answer: A
Rationale:
Population-based nutrition and physical-activity programs address modifiable risk factors before
disease or complications develop. Dialysis and wound care are tertiary interventions.
QUESTION 4
A nurse is calculating the incidence of influenza in a community. Which population is
represented in the denominator?
A. All residents who have ever had influenza
B. Existing influenza cases at the beginning of the year
C. New influenza cases occurring during the specified period divided by the population at risk
D. Residents who received influenza treatment
Correct Answer: C
Rationale:
Incidence measures new cases occurring in a population at risk during a specified period.
Prevalence, by contrast, describes existing cases in a population at a particular time or over a
specified period.
QUESTION 5
Which statement best describes prevalence?
A. The number of new cases occurring during a specified period
B. The proportion of a population with a disease at a given time or period
C. The number of deaths caused by a disease
D. The percentage of exposed people who develop symptoms immediately
Correct Answer: B
, Rationale:
Prevalence reflects the total burden of existing disease in a population at a particular point in
time or during a defined period. It includes both previously diagnosed and newly identified
cases.
QUESTION 6
A community health nurse identifies a neighborhood with unusually high rates of asthma
among children. Which action should the nurse take first?
A. Immediately close local businesses
B. Conduct a community assessment to identify potential contributing factors
C. Tell families to relocate
D. Begin distributing antibiotics
Correct Answer: B
Rationale:
Before implementing an intervention, the nurse should assess the problem and identify
potential environmental, social, behavioral, and healthcare-related contributors. Assessment
provides the evidence needed to select an appropriate intervention.
QUESTION 7
A nurse is assessing a community's built environment. Which observation is most relevant?
A. Residents' religious beliefs
B. Availability of sidewalks and safe recreational spaces
C. Average household income only
D. Number of residents with chronic diseases
Correct Answer: B
Rationale:
The built environment includes physical structures and features of a community, such as
housing, transportation systems, sidewalks, parks, and recreational spaces. These factors can
influence physical activity and health outcomes.
QUESTION 8
