Nr503-population health,
Epidemiology, and stats
recap of
Week 1, 2, 3
Important take-away points to
Review
In the first 3 weeks of the course we have reviewed the definitions of population health and epidemiology.
These are critical definitions to consider as you complete all assignments, which includes discussion
boards, for the course.
Population health “examines health outcomes of groups of individuals, called populations, it includes the
impact of health issues that affect the entire society as well as the health issues of vulnerable or high-risk
groups” (riegelman, 2020).
epidemiology is the study of occurrences and distribution of health-related issues (zeni, 2021).
Primary primary prevention refers to preventing disease before it occurs
Secondary prevention consists of screening and diagnosis of disease. Secondary prevention is one of the
most cost-effective strategies to improve current health status and prevent chronic, debilitating disease
states through screening of individuals and populations.
Tertiary prevention consists of interventions aimed at interventions to facilitate the rehabilitation of
the patient to the highest level of functioning while addressing the risk factors that could further result
in the deterioration of the patient's health
The validity of any screening test is the ability of that test to distinguish correctly who has a disease
,Validity is based in both the specificity (the ability of a test to correctly identify those who do not have
the disease) and sensitivity (the ability of a test to correctly identify those who have a disease)
Continuous variable screenings are those that are not either positive or negative, but occur on a continuum
of values, such as blood glucose or hemoglobin levels (ex: hemoglobin or glucose test)
The other type of screening that you may use as an np is two-stage testing, where a less sensitive first or
specific test is used, often of lower cost or less risk to the patient. If that test result is positive then a next
test is employed (ex: first skin tb test, if comes positive then further screening)
What exactly are health outcomes and the determinants of health? How is the term population defined, what
is meant by the term?
Determinants of health- medical care, public health interventions, characteristics of social
environment (income, education, employment, social support, culture), physical environment (clean
air, water quality), genetics and individual behavior
The term “population” can mean geographically located individuals or those defined by a common characteristic
or a common risk factors, such as low socioeconomic or a risk factor such as chronic pain.
Health outcomes can be impact by a number of factors, such as the determinants to health suggests. What
are the determinants? Hp2020 does a thorough job listing and explaining and i would urge you to
thoroughly review the determinants through the hp2020 web site.
So, next, what are outcomes? How is the health of a population measured? These measurements are
called population health status measures. These measures can be on the local municipality level, state
level, national level, or world-wide level. They measure mortality rates and life expectancy as two
examples. The who uses a measurement known as the health-adjusted life expectancy (hale) (riegelman,
2020). Other outcomes may include morbidity, incidence, prevalence, social functioning, role
functioning, as well as physical and mental health indicators. (pender, 2015).
Returning to the topic of epidemiological science what is descriptive epidemiology versus analytic
epidemiology? Descriptive, simply put, is the 5 w’s (why, what, where, when, who) used to describe a state
or event. Analytic involves answering the why and how questions by posing hypotheses about the
relationships, using statistical tests, and using a comparison group (zeni, 2021).
Descriptive epidemiology is the first step in any epidemiology investigation or in analyzing any health
problem from a research perspective. It is sometimes called the natural history of a disease and
begins with defining the differences, similarities, and correlations of key areas of any health problem
This now leads to the epidemiological triad or triangle. Can you state the three arms of the triad?
,Epidemiological triad:
• Agent- the agent is the microorganism that actually causes the disease in question. An agent
could be some form of bacteria, virus, fungus, or parasite.
• Host- the agent infects the host, which is the organism that carries the disease. A host doesn’t
necessarily get sick; hosts can act as carriers for an agent without displaying any outward
symptoms of the disease. Hosts get sick or carry an agent because some part of their physiology
is hospitable or attractive to the agent.
• Environment- outside factors can affect an epidemiologic outbreak as well; collectively these are
referred to as the environment. The environment includes any factors that affect the spread of
the disease but are not directly a part of the agent or the host. For example, the temperature in
a given location might affect an agent’s ability to thrive, as might the quality of drinking water or
the accessibility of adequate medical facilities.
These are important concepts that are thoroughly reviewed in your curly text and canvas readings. Be
sure to be able to define and apply these concepts. What i will say here is that population-based
behavioral change, whether it be related to obesity, cigarette smoking, seat belt use, safer sex, improving
nutrition, or increasing exercise is related to human behavior and is at the center of population health
(riegelman, 2020). Culture greatly influences change and this is discussed later in the course. Considering
the stages of change model can be a helpful theory to consider for population health interventions
(riegelman, 2020).
Nr503: mid-term study guide
Week 1 summary & key points:
1. It is vital to connect social justice theory to advocacy, health disparities and to outcomes.
2. How are outcomes determined?
3. Where can morbidity, mortality, incidence and prevalence data be found at the state and national level?
a. State department of health website; nccdphp
i. (nccdphp) the cdc's national center for chronic disease prevention and
health promotion consists of nine divisions that support a variety of activities
that improve the nation's health by preventing chronic diseases and their
risk factors
ii. National, state, and community levels
b. Cdc, the national center for health statistics (nchs) is considered the nation's principal
health statistics agency
c. Cdi - 97 indicators
4. How does social justice and health inequities influence population health care provision?
, 5. Why is this critical information for the provision of evidence-based care?
6. Are you able to both define and apply key terms, such as: vital statistics, morbidity, mortality, cases, social
justice, epidemiology, population health, incidence, prevalence, outcomes, inter- professional collaboration,
hp2020, determinants of health, risk analysis?
7. What is the campaign for action?
8. Explain the differences between primary
a. Primary prevention refers to preventing disease before it occurs. (prevention and
planning) usually, primary prevention occurs through application of epidemiological
concepts and databases to assess risk factors and then target those populations in which
there can be the greatest impact on outcomes to ward off impending disease or
unhealthy outcomes. For example, if the apn has assessed epidemiological data and
observes that there is a high incidence and prevalence of lung cancer in those
individuals and populations who smoke before the fifth grade, then this epidemiological
data can be the basis for planning a smoking cessation educational program for school-
age children before the fifth grade.
b. Secondary - secondary prevention consists of screening and diagnosis of disease.
Secondary prevention is one of the most cost-effective strategies to improve current
health status and prevent chronic, debilitating disease states through screening of
individuals and populations. For example, screening helps apns detect a disease once it
is present and assist and facilitate the patient or population to get care for the disease
that has been detected. The apn must be knowledgeable and apply standards of care
and accepted national clinical guidelines to advise the individual or population to
undergo preventive screening that is age appropriate and developmentally appropriate
c. Tertiary intervention - tertiary prevention consists of interventions aimed at
interventions to facilitate the rehabilitation of the patient to the highest level of
functioning while addressing the risk factors that could further result in the
deterioration of the patient's health. For example, an apn would counsel a patient who
has had a myocardial infarction about the risk factors that could elicit further
debilitation. The client may be encouraged to lose weight and commit to an appropriate
exercise program while being closely monitored for cholesterol levels, and so on.
Certainly a cardiac rehabilitation program could be of value to this patient. As stated
above, accepted national clinical guidelines should be utilized as a benchmark for this
follow-up care
Week 2 summary & key points:
1. In conclusion, the control of infectious disease presents a challenge to the apn on many
fronts. The ability to provide effective population-based interventions, in addition to
fulfilling legal obligations, can have a profound positive impact on the nation's health.
2. Screening/diagnostic tools are often created for population specific use; for instance,
gender, age, culture.
Epidemiology, and stats
recap of
Week 1, 2, 3
Important take-away points to
Review
In the first 3 weeks of the course we have reviewed the definitions of population health and epidemiology.
These are critical definitions to consider as you complete all assignments, which includes discussion
boards, for the course.
Population health “examines health outcomes of groups of individuals, called populations, it includes the
impact of health issues that affect the entire society as well as the health issues of vulnerable or high-risk
groups” (riegelman, 2020).
epidemiology is the study of occurrences and distribution of health-related issues (zeni, 2021).
Primary primary prevention refers to preventing disease before it occurs
Secondary prevention consists of screening and diagnosis of disease. Secondary prevention is one of the
most cost-effective strategies to improve current health status and prevent chronic, debilitating disease
states through screening of individuals and populations.
Tertiary prevention consists of interventions aimed at interventions to facilitate the rehabilitation of
the patient to the highest level of functioning while addressing the risk factors that could further result
in the deterioration of the patient's health
The validity of any screening test is the ability of that test to distinguish correctly who has a disease
,Validity is based in both the specificity (the ability of a test to correctly identify those who do not have
the disease) and sensitivity (the ability of a test to correctly identify those who have a disease)
Continuous variable screenings are those that are not either positive or negative, but occur on a continuum
of values, such as blood glucose or hemoglobin levels (ex: hemoglobin or glucose test)
The other type of screening that you may use as an np is two-stage testing, where a less sensitive first or
specific test is used, often of lower cost or less risk to the patient. If that test result is positive then a next
test is employed (ex: first skin tb test, if comes positive then further screening)
What exactly are health outcomes and the determinants of health? How is the term population defined, what
is meant by the term?
Determinants of health- medical care, public health interventions, characteristics of social
environment (income, education, employment, social support, culture), physical environment (clean
air, water quality), genetics and individual behavior
The term “population” can mean geographically located individuals or those defined by a common characteristic
or a common risk factors, such as low socioeconomic or a risk factor such as chronic pain.
Health outcomes can be impact by a number of factors, such as the determinants to health suggests. What
are the determinants? Hp2020 does a thorough job listing and explaining and i would urge you to
thoroughly review the determinants through the hp2020 web site.
So, next, what are outcomes? How is the health of a population measured? These measurements are
called population health status measures. These measures can be on the local municipality level, state
level, national level, or world-wide level. They measure mortality rates and life expectancy as two
examples. The who uses a measurement known as the health-adjusted life expectancy (hale) (riegelman,
2020). Other outcomes may include morbidity, incidence, prevalence, social functioning, role
functioning, as well as physical and mental health indicators. (pender, 2015).
Returning to the topic of epidemiological science what is descriptive epidemiology versus analytic
epidemiology? Descriptive, simply put, is the 5 w’s (why, what, where, when, who) used to describe a state
or event. Analytic involves answering the why and how questions by posing hypotheses about the
relationships, using statistical tests, and using a comparison group (zeni, 2021).
Descriptive epidemiology is the first step in any epidemiology investigation or in analyzing any health
problem from a research perspective. It is sometimes called the natural history of a disease and
begins with defining the differences, similarities, and correlations of key areas of any health problem
This now leads to the epidemiological triad or triangle. Can you state the three arms of the triad?
,Epidemiological triad:
• Agent- the agent is the microorganism that actually causes the disease in question. An agent
could be some form of bacteria, virus, fungus, or parasite.
• Host- the agent infects the host, which is the organism that carries the disease. A host doesn’t
necessarily get sick; hosts can act as carriers for an agent without displaying any outward
symptoms of the disease. Hosts get sick or carry an agent because some part of their physiology
is hospitable or attractive to the agent.
• Environment- outside factors can affect an epidemiologic outbreak as well; collectively these are
referred to as the environment. The environment includes any factors that affect the spread of
the disease but are not directly a part of the agent or the host. For example, the temperature in
a given location might affect an agent’s ability to thrive, as might the quality of drinking water or
the accessibility of adequate medical facilities.
These are important concepts that are thoroughly reviewed in your curly text and canvas readings. Be
sure to be able to define and apply these concepts. What i will say here is that population-based
behavioral change, whether it be related to obesity, cigarette smoking, seat belt use, safer sex, improving
nutrition, or increasing exercise is related to human behavior and is at the center of population health
(riegelman, 2020). Culture greatly influences change and this is discussed later in the course. Considering
the stages of change model can be a helpful theory to consider for population health interventions
(riegelman, 2020).
Nr503: mid-term study guide
Week 1 summary & key points:
1. It is vital to connect social justice theory to advocacy, health disparities and to outcomes.
2. How are outcomes determined?
3. Where can morbidity, mortality, incidence and prevalence data be found at the state and national level?
a. State department of health website; nccdphp
i. (nccdphp) the cdc's national center for chronic disease prevention and
health promotion consists of nine divisions that support a variety of activities
that improve the nation's health by preventing chronic diseases and their
risk factors
ii. National, state, and community levels
b. Cdc, the national center for health statistics (nchs) is considered the nation's principal
health statistics agency
c. Cdi - 97 indicators
4. How does social justice and health inequities influence population health care provision?
, 5. Why is this critical information for the provision of evidence-based care?
6. Are you able to both define and apply key terms, such as: vital statistics, morbidity, mortality, cases, social
justice, epidemiology, population health, incidence, prevalence, outcomes, inter- professional collaboration,
hp2020, determinants of health, risk analysis?
7. What is the campaign for action?
8. Explain the differences between primary
a. Primary prevention refers to preventing disease before it occurs. (prevention and
planning) usually, primary prevention occurs through application of epidemiological
concepts and databases to assess risk factors and then target those populations in which
there can be the greatest impact on outcomes to ward off impending disease or
unhealthy outcomes. For example, if the apn has assessed epidemiological data and
observes that there is a high incidence and prevalence of lung cancer in those
individuals and populations who smoke before the fifth grade, then this epidemiological
data can be the basis for planning a smoking cessation educational program for school-
age children before the fifth grade.
b. Secondary - secondary prevention consists of screening and diagnosis of disease.
Secondary prevention is one of the most cost-effective strategies to improve current
health status and prevent chronic, debilitating disease states through screening of
individuals and populations. For example, screening helps apns detect a disease once it
is present and assist and facilitate the patient or population to get care for the disease
that has been detected. The apn must be knowledgeable and apply standards of care
and accepted national clinical guidelines to advise the individual or population to
undergo preventive screening that is age appropriate and developmentally appropriate
c. Tertiary intervention - tertiary prevention consists of interventions aimed at
interventions to facilitate the rehabilitation of the patient to the highest level of
functioning while addressing the risk factors that could further result in the
deterioration of the patient's health. For example, an apn would counsel a patient who
has had a myocardial infarction about the risk factors that could elicit further
debilitation. The client may be encouraged to lose weight and commit to an appropriate
exercise program while being closely monitored for cholesterol levels, and so on.
Certainly a cardiac rehabilitation program could be of value to this patient. As stated
above, accepted national clinical guidelines should be utilized as a benchmark for this
follow-up care
Week 2 summary & key points:
1. In conclusion, the control of infectious disease presents a challenge to the apn on many
fronts. The ability to provide effective population-based interventions, in addition to
fulfilling legal obligations, can have a profound positive impact on the nation's health.
2. Screening/diagnostic tools are often created for population specific use; for instance,
gender, age, culture.
