COMMUNITY HEALTH NURSING
CANADA 2026 COMPLETE STUDY GUIDE
| ALL MODULES LEARNING COMPANION
WITH KEY PUBLIC HEALTH THEMES ||
NEW EDITION
Module 1: Foundations of Community Health Nursing (CHN) in Canada
1. Q: What is the primary goal of Community Health Nursing (CHN) in
Canada?
A: To promote and protect the health of populations, reduce health
inequities, and strengthen community capacity.
2. Q: Which document outlines the standards of practice for CHNs in
Canada?
A: The Community Health Nursing Standards of Practice (currently 2019
edition, revised by the Community Health Nurses of Canada - CHNC).
3. Q: Define the principle of "upstream focus" in public health.
A: Addressing the root causes (social, economic, environmental) of illness
and health inequities before problems occur, rather than treating
downstream symptoms.
4. Q: What is the key difference between Primary Health Care (PHC) and
primary care?
A: PHC is a broader, intersectoral philosophy focused on equity, community
participation, and health promotion for all. Primary care is a component—
the first point of clinical contact within the healthcare system.
5. Q: Which foundational report reoriented Canada's health system toward
health promotion in 1986?
, A: The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. (The Lalonde Report of 1974,
"A New Perspective on the Health of Canadians," was also seminal in
shifting focus to determinants).
Module 2: Public Health Ethics, Legislation, & Policy
6. Q: What is the primary purpose of the Canada Health Act (1984)?
A: To establish criteria (public administration, comprehensiveness, universality,
portability, accessibility) for provincial/territorial health insurance plans to receive
federal funding.
7. Q: Name a key ethical challenge in CHN when balancing individual liberty
with community protection.
A: Mandatory treatment or isolation orders during an infectious disease
outbreak (e.g., TB, measles).
8. Q: Which act provides the legal framework for quarantine and
international health measures in Canada?
A: The Federal Quarantine Act.
9. Q: What does the "precautionary principle" guide public health officials to
do?
A: Take preventive action in the face of uncertainty, even if scientific proof
of risk is not yet conclusive, to protect population health (e.g., regulating
new chemicals).
10.Q: Which core ethical principle is reflected in ensuring programs are
culturally safe and accessible?
A: Justice (or Equity).
Module 3: Health Promotion & Disease Prevention
11. Q: According to the Ottawa Charter, what are the five key action areas for
health promotion?
A: Build Healthy Public Policy, Create Supportive Environments, Strengthen
Community Actions, Develop Personal Skills, Reorient Health Services.
, 12.Q: What is the difference between health protection and health
promotion?
A: Health protection uses regulatory measures to safeguard the population
from specific threats (e.g., food safety, clean water). Health promotion
enables people to increase control over their health through advocacy and
empowerment.
13.Q: What does "harm reduction" mean as a health promotion strategy?
A: A non-judgmental, pragmatic approach that aims to reduce the negative
health, social, and legal impacts of high-risk behaviors without requiring
abstinence first (e.g., needle exchanges, safer consumption sites).
14.Q: Which level of prevention is a smoking cessation program for
diagnosed COPD patients?
A: Tertiary prevention (managing disease to prevent complications and
improve quality of life).
15.Q: What is a "population health intervention"? Give an example.
A: An initiative aimed at improving the health of an entire population or
sub-population. E.g., A province-wide school nutrition policy, a municipal
active transportation strategy.
Module 4: Social & Environmental Determinants of Health (SDOH)
16. Q: List the 12 key social determinants of health as identified by the Public
Health Agency of Canada.
A: Income & Social Status; Social Support Networks; Education & Literacy;
Employment/Working Conditions; Social Environments; Physical Environments;
Personal Health Practices & Coping Skills; Healthy Child Development; Biology &
Genetic Endowment; Health Services; Gender; Culture; (Aboriginal status is also
critically recognized).
17.Q: What is the single strongest predictor of good health?
A: Socioeconomic status (specifically income and its equitable distribution).
, 18.Q: How does "weathering" impact health?
A: It describes the cumulative negative health effects of chronic exposure to
social and economic disadvantage and discrimination, leading to
accelerated biological aging and poorer health outcomes.
19.Q: What environmental health issue is linked to both climate change and
respiratory illness?
A: Air quality/wildfire smoke.
20.Q: What is "health equity"?
A: The absence of unfair and avoidable health disparities among population
groups. It requires removing obstacles like poverty, discrimination, and their
consequences.
Module 5: Epidemiology & Community Assessment
21. Q: What is the purpose of calculating an incidence rate?
A: To measure the number of new cases of a disease in a population at risk during
a specified time period. It is a key measure of risk.
22.Q: Define prevalence.
A: The total number of existing cases (both new and old) of a disease in a
population at a given point or period in time.
23.Q: What is a community health assessment (CHA)?
A: A systematic process of data collection and analysis to identify the health
needs, assets, and priorities of a defined community to inform planning and
action.
24.Q: In an outbreak investigation, what does an "attack rate" measure?
A: The cumulative incidence of infection or illness in a group exposed to an
infectious agent over a defined period (e.g., during an outbreak).
25.Q: What is the difference between endemic, epidemic, and pandemic?
A: Endemic: usual presence of a disease in a geographic area. Epidemic:
occurrence of disease in excess of the expected level. Pandemic: worldwide
epidemic.
CANADA 2026 COMPLETE STUDY GUIDE
| ALL MODULES LEARNING COMPANION
WITH KEY PUBLIC HEALTH THEMES ||
NEW EDITION
Module 1: Foundations of Community Health Nursing (CHN) in Canada
1. Q: What is the primary goal of Community Health Nursing (CHN) in
Canada?
A: To promote and protect the health of populations, reduce health
inequities, and strengthen community capacity.
2. Q: Which document outlines the standards of practice for CHNs in
Canada?
A: The Community Health Nursing Standards of Practice (currently 2019
edition, revised by the Community Health Nurses of Canada - CHNC).
3. Q: Define the principle of "upstream focus" in public health.
A: Addressing the root causes (social, economic, environmental) of illness
and health inequities before problems occur, rather than treating
downstream symptoms.
4. Q: What is the key difference between Primary Health Care (PHC) and
primary care?
A: PHC is a broader, intersectoral philosophy focused on equity, community
participation, and health promotion for all. Primary care is a component—
the first point of clinical contact within the healthcare system.
5. Q: Which foundational report reoriented Canada's health system toward
health promotion in 1986?
, A: The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. (The Lalonde Report of 1974,
"A New Perspective on the Health of Canadians," was also seminal in
shifting focus to determinants).
Module 2: Public Health Ethics, Legislation, & Policy
6. Q: What is the primary purpose of the Canada Health Act (1984)?
A: To establish criteria (public administration, comprehensiveness, universality,
portability, accessibility) for provincial/territorial health insurance plans to receive
federal funding.
7. Q: Name a key ethical challenge in CHN when balancing individual liberty
with community protection.
A: Mandatory treatment or isolation orders during an infectious disease
outbreak (e.g., TB, measles).
8. Q: Which act provides the legal framework for quarantine and
international health measures in Canada?
A: The Federal Quarantine Act.
9. Q: What does the "precautionary principle" guide public health officials to
do?
A: Take preventive action in the face of uncertainty, even if scientific proof
of risk is not yet conclusive, to protect population health (e.g., regulating
new chemicals).
10.Q: Which core ethical principle is reflected in ensuring programs are
culturally safe and accessible?
A: Justice (or Equity).
Module 3: Health Promotion & Disease Prevention
11. Q: According to the Ottawa Charter, what are the five key action areas for
health promotion?
A: Build Healthy Public Policy, Create Supportive Environments, Strengthen
Community Actions, Develop Personal Skills, Reorient Health Services.
, 12.Q: What is the difference between health protection and health
promotion?
A: Health protection uses regulatory measures to safeguard the population
from specific threats (e.g., food safety, clean water). Health promotion
enables people to increase control over their health through advocacy and
empowerment.
13.Q: What does "harm reduction" mean as a health promotion strategy?
A: A non-judgmental, pragmatic approach that aims to reduce the negative
health, social, and legal impacts of high-risk behaviors without requiring
abstinence first (e.g., needle exchanges, safer consumption sites).
14.Q: Which level of prevention is a smoking cessation program for
diagnosed COPD patients?
A: Tertiary prevention (managing disease to prevent complications and
improve quality of life).
15.Q: What is a "population health intervention"? Give an example.
A: An initiative aimed at improving the health of an entire population or
sub-population. E.g., A province-wide school nutrition policy, a municipal
active transportation strategy.
Module 4: Social & Environmental Determinants of Health (SDOH)
16. Q: List the 12 key social determinants of health as identified by the Public
Health Agency of Canada.
A: Income & Social Status; Social Support Networks; Education & Literacy;
Employment/Working Conditions; Social Environments; Physical Environments;
Personal Health Practices & Coping Skills; Healthy Child Development; Biology &
Genetic Endowment; Health Services; Gender; Culture; (Aboriginal status is also
critically recognized).
17.Q: What is the single strongest predictor of good health?
A: Socioeconomic status (specifically income and its equitable distribution).
, 18.Q: How does "weathering" impact health?
A: It describes the cumulative negative health effects of chronic exposure to
social and economic disadvantage and discrimination, leading to
accelerated biological aging and poorer health outcomes.
19.Q: What environmental health issue is linked to both climate change and
respiratory illness?
A: Air quality/wildfire smoke.
20.Q: What is "health equity"?
A: The absence of unfair and avoidable health disparities among population
groups. It requires removing obstacles like poverty, discrimination, and their
consequences.
Module 5: Epidemiology & Community Assessment
21. Q: What is the purpose of calculating an incidence rate?
A: To measure the number of new cases of a disease in a population at risk during
a specified time period. It is a key measure of risk.
22.Q: Define prevalence.
A: The total number of existing cases (both new and old) of a disease in a
population at a given point or period in time.
23.Q: What is a community health assessment (CHA)?
A: A systematic process of data collection and analysis to identify the health
needs, assets, and priorities of a defined community to inform planning and
action.
24.Q: In an outbreak investigation, what does an "attack rate" measure?
A: The cumulative incidence of infection or illness in a group exposed to an
infectious agent over a defined period (e.g., during an outbreak).
25.Q: What is the difference between endemic, epidemic, and pandemic?
A: Endemic: usual presence of a disease in a geographic area. Epidemic:
occurrence of disease in excess of the expected level. Pandemic: worldwide
epidemic.
