lOMoAR cP SD |12827 373
Chapter 10: Epidemiological Applications
Stanhope: Foundations for Population Health in Community/Public Health Nursing,
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. A nurse is using analytic epidemiology when conducting a research project. Which of the following pr
likely completing?
a. Reviewing communicable disease statistics
b. Determining factors contributing to childhood obesity
c. Analyzing locations where family violence is increasing
d. Documenting population characteristics for healthy older citizens
ANS: B
Epidemiology refers not only to infectious epidemics but also to other health-related events. The goal
to discover the determinants of outcomes—the how and the why. Analytic epidemiology looks at the e
disease. It discusses the disease in terms of how and why. Descriptive epidemiology considers health o
who, where, and when. It discusses a disease in terms of person, place, and time.
2. A nurse is employed as a nurse epidemiologist. Which of the following activities would most likely be
a. Eliciting the health history of a client presenting with an illness
b. Evaluating the number of clients presenting with similar diseases
c. Performing a physical examination of an ill client
d. Providing treatment and health education to a client with a disease
ANS: B
Epidemiology monitors the health of the population by examining measures of morbidity, especially in
incidence rates, and prevalence proportions and learning about the risk for disease, the rate of disease d
of existing disease in a population, respectively. Epidemiology differs from clinical medicine, which fo
and treatment of disease in individuals.
3. Which of the following actions by Florence Nightingale demonstrates her role as an epidemiologist?
a. She convinced other women to join her in giving nursing care to all the
soldiers. b. She demonstrated that a safer environment resulted in decreased
mortality rate. c. She obtained safe water and better food supplies and fought the
lice and rats.
d. She met with each soldier each evening to say goodnight, thereby giving
psychological support.
ANS: B
Nightingale examined the relationship between the environment and the recovery of the soldiers. Usin
measures, she was able to show that improving environmental conditions and adding nursing care decr
the soldiers. Nightingale used statistics to document decreased mortality rates when the environmental
Asking other women to assist with providing nursing care, obtaining safe water, and meeting with each
that demonstrate the use of epidemiology (the relationship between the health events and the determina
those patterns).
4. Which of the following statements describes how nursing in the community is more challenging than n
setting?
a. There is limited access to information useful to the nurse in giving care in the
community.
b. More paperwork and forms are required when giving care in the home.
c. It is more challenging to control the environment in the community.
d. Specialization isn’t possible in the community setting.
ANS: C
In the community, nurses often use epidemiology, since the factors that affect the individual, family, a
be as easily controlled as in acute care settings. It is essentially impossible to control the environment i
working in the community have multiple resources that can be used to access information about the co
additional paperwork and forms to complete in the home environment, but the lack of control of the en
, lOMoAR cP SD |12827 373
6. Between 2010 and 2015, 1000 of 10,000 young women age 17 to 20 years at a university tested positiv
infection (STI). Of the 1000 diagnosed STIs, 300 were gonorrhea and 500 were chlamydia. Which of t
summarizes these findings?
a. The proportion of cases of gonorrhea to all STIs was 300:1300.
b. The proportion of cases of gonorrhea to chlamydia was 300:500.
c. The proportion of cases of gonorrhea to all STIs was 50%.
d. The proportion of STIs to the total population was 100:1000.
ANS: D
A proportion is a ratio in which the denominator includes the numerator. If the proportion is small, we
1000. The answer of 100:1000 correctly summarizes that 1000 of 10,000 (or 100:1000) young women
answer of 300:1300 adds the total of the numerator to the denominator, which is unnecessary because
already included in the denominator. In the answer of 300:500, the ratio comparing gonorrhea to chlam
epidemiological definition of proportion (i.e., the denominator must contain the numerator). Although
expressed as percentages, in the answer of 50%, the percentage reflects the number of gonorrhea cases
summarize the total STI problem.
7. The nursing staff has attempted to screen the entire African-American population in the community fo
following would provide immediate verification of the success of the nursing staff’s efforts?
a. An epidemic of diabetes will be recognized.
b. The incidence of diabetes will increase in the community.
c. The prevalence of diabetes will decrease in the community.
d. The risk for diabetes in the community will increase.
ANS: B
If the screening has been successful, more diabetes will be diagnosed and, hopefully, treated. Thus, the
increase. Overall, prevalence will also increase, but that is not one of the answer options. An epidemic
disease, injury, or other conditions exceeds the usual level of that condition. The prevalence (measure
population at a particular time) of diabetes would also increase. The risk for diabetes would not increas
likely that the disease would be detected.
8. In a particular community, several high school students were diagnosed with diabetes mellitus type 2 d
school health fair. Over the next few years, the nursing staff developed and implemented educational p
factors for diabetes mellitus type 2 and proper nutrition. Which of the following would be the most use
determine if they are having any impact?
a. The epidemic of diabetes in the high school is gradually ending.
b. The incidence of diabetes is slowly decreasing during screening events.
c. The prevalence of diabetes is slowly decreasing during screening events.
d. The risk for diabetes is slowly increasing over time.
ANS: B
Incidence rates and incidence proportions are the measure of choice to study etiology because incidenc
factors related to the risk of developing disease and not to survival or cure. If the educational programs
impact, the incidence of diabetes being diagnosed will decrease in future screenings. Prevalence is a fa
time, but incidence reacts more quickly to changes in risk factors or intervention programs. In order fo
occurred, the rate of the illness would have had to exceed the usual level of that condition. There is no
support that the disease was at an epidemic level in this population. If the educational programs are eff
should be slowly decreasing over time.
9. This year 600 of 8000 young women age 17 to 20 years at a university health center tested positive for
transmitted infection (STI). Which of the following terms best describes this data?
a. An epidemic
b. Incidence
c. Prevalence
d. Risk
ANS: C
Prevalence is the measure of existing disease in a population at a particular time. Because we do not ha
way to conclude that this is an epidemic with higher-than-normal results from the screening. Incidence
whereas prevalence means all cases. We don’t know whether the finding represents the first time a wo
Chapter 10: Epidemiological Applications
Stanhope: Foundations for Population Health in Community/Public Health Nursing,
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. A nurse is using analytic epidemiology when conducting a research project. Which of the following pr
likely completing?
a. Reviewing communicable disease statistics
b. Determining factors contributing to childhood obesity
c. Analyzing locations where family violence is increasing
d. Documenting population characteristics for healthy older citizens
ANS: B
Epidemiology refers not only to infectious epidemics but also to other health-related events. The goal
to discover the determinants of outcomes—the how and the why. Analytic epidemiology looks at the e
disease. It discusses the disease in terms of how and why. Descriptive epidemiology considers health o
who, where, and when. It discusses a disease in terms of person, place, and time.
2. A nurse is employed as a nurse epidemiologist. Which of the following activities would most likely be
a. Eliciting the health history of a client presenting with an illness
b. Evaluating the number of clients presenting with similar diseases
c. Performing a physical examination of an ill client
d. Providing treatment and health education to a client with a disease
ANS: B
Epidemiology monitors the health of the population by examining measures of morbidity, especially in
incidence rates, and prevalence proportions and learning about the risk for disease, the rate of disease d
of existing disease in a population, respectively. Epidemiology differs from clinical medicine, which fo
and treatment of disease in individuals.
3. Which of the following actions by Florence Nightingale demonstrates her role as an epidemiologist?
a. She convinced other women to join her in giving nursing care to all the
soldiers. b. She demonstrated that a safer environment resulted in decreased
mortality rate. c. She obtained safe water and better food supplies and fought the
lice and rats.
d. She met with each soldier each evening to say goodnight, thereby giving
psychological support.
ANS: B
Nightingale examined the relationship between the environment and the recovery of the soldiers. Usin
measures, she was able to show that improving environmental conditions and adding nursing care decr
the soldiers. Nightingale used statistics to document decreased mortality rates when the environmental
Asking other women to assist with providing nursing care, obtaining safe water, and meeting with each
that demonstrate the use of epidemiology (the relationship between the health events and the determina
those patterns).
4. Which of the following statements describes how nursing in the community is more challenging than n
setting?
a. There is limited access to information useful to the nurse in giving care in the
community.
b. More paperwork and forms are required when giving care in the home.
c. It is more challenging to control the environment in the community.
d. Specialization isn’t possible in the community setting.
ANS: C
In the community, nurses often use epidemiology, since the factors that affect the individual, family, a
be as easily controlled as in acute care settings. It is essentially impossible to control the environment i
working in the community have multiple resources that can be used to access information about the co
additional paperwork and forms to complete in the home environment, but the lack of control of the en
, lOMoAR cP SD |12827 373
6. Between 2010 and 2015, 1000 of 10,000 young women age 17 to 20 years at a university tested positiv
infection (STI). Of the 1000 diagnosed STIs, 300 were gonorrhea and 500 were chlamydia. Which of t
summarizes these findings?
a. The proportion of cases of gonorrhea to all STIs was 300:1300.
b. The proportion of cases of gonorrhea to chlamydia was 300:500.
c. The proportion of cases of gonorrhea to all STIs was 50%.
d. The proportion of STIs to the total population was 100:1000.
ANS: D
A proportion is a ratio in which the denominator includes the numerator. If the proportion is small, we
1000. The answer of 100:1000 correctly summarizes that 1000 of 10,000 (or 100:1000) young women
answer of 300:1300 adds the total of the numerator to the denominator, which is unnecessary because
already included in the denominator. In the answer of 300:500, the ratio comparing gonorrhea to chlam
epidemiological definition of proportion (i.e., the denominator must contain the numerator). Although
expressed as percentages, in the answer of 50%, the percentage reflects the number of gonorrhea cases
summarize the total STI problem.
7. The nursing staff has attempted to screen the entire African-American population in the community fo
following would provide immediate verification of the success of the nursing staff’s efforts?
a. An epidemic of diabetes will be recognized.
b. The incidence of diabetes will increase in the community.
c. The prevalence of diabetes will decrease in the community.
d. The risk for diabetes in the community will increase.
ANS: B
If the screening has been successful, more diabetes will be diagnosed and, hopefully, treated. Thus, the
increase. Overall, prevalence will also increase, but that is not one of the answer options. An epidemic
disease, injury, or other conditions exceeds the usual level of that condition. The prevalence (measure
population at a particular time) of diabetes would also increase. The risk for diabetes would not increas
likely that the disease would be detected.
8. In a particular community, several high school students were diagnosed with diabetes mellitus type 2 d
school health fair. Over the next few years, the nursing staff developed and implemented educational p
factors for diabetes mellitus type 2 and proper nutrition. Which of the following would be the most use
determine if they are having any impact?
a. The epidemic of diabetes in the high school is gradually ending.
b. The incidence of diabetes is slowly decreasing during screening events.
c. The prevalence of diabetes is slowly decreasing during screening events.
d. The risk for diabetes is slowly increasing over time.
ANS: B
Incidence rates and incidence proportions are the measure of choice to study etiology because incidenc
factors related to the risk of developing disease and not to survival or cure. If the educational programs
impact, the incidence of diabetes being diagnosed will decrease in future screenings. Prevalence is a fa
time, but incidence reacts more quickly to changes in risk factors or intervention programs. In order fo
occurred, the rate of the illness would have had to exceed the usual level of that condition. There is no
support that the disease was at an epidemic level in this population. If the educational programs are eff
should be slowly decreasing over time.
9. This year 600 of 8000 young women age 17 to 20 years at a university health center tested positive for
transmitted infection (STI). Which of the following terms best describes this data?
a. An epidemic
b. Incidence
c. Prevalence
d. Risk
ANS: C
Prevalence is the measure of existing disease in a population at a particular time. Because we do not ha
way to conclude that this is an epidemic with higher-than-normal results from the screening. Incidence
whereas prevalence means all cases. We don’t know whether the finding represents the first time a wo
