West Coast University NURS 340: Public Health Quizzes 1-3 | Complete 100%
Questions and And Answers_ Updated summer 2025/26
**NURS 340 – Public Health Nursing.
Quiz 1: Foundations of Public Health & Community-Oriented Nursing
1. A public health nurse (PHN) conducts a community assessment to identify barriers to
prenatal care. This is an example of which core public health function?
a) Assurance
b) Policy development
c) Assessment
d) Surveillance
Answer: c) Assessment
Rationale: Assessment involves systematically collecting data on the population’s health
status, including barriers to care.
2. Which statement best describes the primary focus of public health nursing?
a) Treating acute illnesses in hospitalized patients
b) Providing home care to chronically ill individuals
c) Promoting and protecting the health of populations
d) Managing insurance claims for community clinics
Answer: c) Promoting and protecting the health of populations
Rationale: Unlike clinical nursing, PHN focuses on entire populations, not just individuals.
,3. A nurse investigates a cluster of Legionnaires’ disease in a local hotel. This action
represents which level of prevention?
a) Primary
b) Secondary
c) Tertiary
d) Primordial
Answer: b) Secondary
Rationale: Secondary prevention includes early detection and investigation of outbreaks to
halt spread.
4. Which of the following is an example of tertiary prevention?
a) Immunization clinic for influenza
b) Lead screening for toddlers
c) Cardiac rehabilitation after myocardial infarction
d) Health education on safe sex
Answer: c) Cardiac rehabilitation after myocardial infarction
Rationale: Tertiary prevention reduces disability and restores function after disease occurs.
5. The PHN identifies lack of clean drinking water in a rural community. Which intervention is
most appropriate at the systems level?
a) Teach families to boil water
b) Distribute water filters to each home
c) Lobby local government to improve water infrastructure
d) Refer individual cases of diarrhea to a clinic
,Answer: c) Lobby local government to improve water infrastructure
Rationale: Systems-level intervention changes policies or structures affecting entire
communities.
6. A nurse uses epidemiology to determine the incidence of opioid overdoses in a city. This is
part of which public health function?
a) Assurance
b) Policy development
c) Assessment
d) Quality improvement
Answer: c) Assessment
Rationale: Assessment includes monitoring health status to identify community health
problems.
7. The PHN aims to increase physical activity in a sedentary neighborhood. Which approach
is population-focused?
a) Counseling one family about exercise
b) Creating walking groups and safe parks for all residents
c) Prescribing gym memberships to individuals with obesity
d) Referring patients to a personal trainer
Answer: b) Creating walking groups and safe parks for all residents
Rationale: Population-focused interventions target the entire group, not just individuals.
8. A community’s infant mortality rate is 12 per 1,000 live births. This measure is an example
of:
, a) Morbidity rate
b) Mortality rate
c) Attack rate
d) Prevalence rate
Answer: b) Mortality rate
Rationale: Infant mortality rate is a specific type of mortality rate.
9. Which ethical principle is most challenged when a PHN must report a case of tuberculosis
to public health authorities against the patient’s wishes?
a) Autonomy
b) Beneficence
c) Justice
d) Nonmaleficence
Answer: a) Autonomy
Rationale: Reporting overrides patient autonomy to protect community health.
10. Upstream thinking in public health focuses on:
a) Treating diseases after symptoms appear
b) Addressing root causes of health problems
c) Providing emergency care
d) Managing hospital discharges
Answer: b) Addressing root causes of health problems
Rationale: Upstream thinking targets social, economic, and environmental determinants.
Questions and And Answers_ Updated summer 2025/26
**NURS 340 – Public Health Nursing.
Quiz 1: Foundations of Public Health & Community-Oriented Nursing
1. A public health nurse (PHN) conducts a community assessment to identify barriers to
prenatal care. This is an example of which core public health function?
a) Assurance
b) Policy development
c) Assessment
d) Surveillance
Answer: c) Assessment
Rationale: Assessment involves systematically collecting data on the population’s health
status, including barriers to care.
2. Which statement best describes the primary focus of public health nursing?
a) Treating acute illnesses in hospitalized patients
b) Providing home care to chronically ill individuals
c) Promoting and protecting the health of populations
d) Managing insurance claims for community clinics
Answer: c) Promoting and protecting the health of populations
Rationale: Unlike clinical nursing, PHN focuses on entire populations, not just individuals.
,3. A nurse investigates a cluster of Legionnaires’ disease in a local hotel. This action
represents which level of prevention?
a) Primary
b) Secondary
c) Tertiary
d) Primordial
Answer: b) Secondary
Rationale: Secondary prevention includes early detection and investigation of outbreaks to
halt spread.
4. Which of the following is an example of tertiary prevention?
a) Immunization clinic for influenza
b) Lead screening for toddlers
c) Cardiac rehabilitation after myocardial infarction
d) Health education on safe sex
Answer: c) Cardiac rehabilitation after myocardial infarction
Rationale: Tertiary prevention reduces disability and restores function after disease occurs.
5. The PHN identifies lack of clean drinking water in a rural community. Which intervention is
most appropriate at the systems level?
a) Teach families to boil water
b) Distribute water filters to each home
c) Lobby local government to improve water infrastructure
d) Refer individual cases of diarrhea to a clinic
,Answer: c) Lobby local government to improve water infrastructure
Rationale: Systems-level intervention changes policies or structures affecting entire
communities.
6. A nurse uses epidemiology to determine the incidence of opioid overdoses in a city. This is
part of which public health function?
a) Assurance
b) Policy development
c) Assessment
d) Quality improvement
Answer: c) Assessment
Rationale: Assessment includes monitoring health status to identify community health
problems.
7. The PHN aims to increase physical activity in a sedentary neighborhood. Which approach
is population-focused?
a) Counseling one family about exercise
b) Creating walking groups and safe parks for all residents
c) Prescribing gym memberships to individuals with obesity
d) Referring patients to a personal trainer
Answer: b) Creating walking groups and safe parks for all residents
Rationale: Population-focused interventions target the entire group, not just individuals.
8. A community’s infant mortality rate is 12 per 1,000 live births. This measure is an example
of:
, a) Morbidity rate
b) Mortality rate
c) Attack rate
d) Prevalence rate
Answer: b) Mortality rate
Rationale: Infant mortality rate is a specific type of mortality rate.
9. Which ethical principle is most challenged when a PHN must report a case of tuberculosis
to public health authorities against the patient’s wishes?
a) Autonomy
b) Beneficence
c) Justice
d) Nonmaleficence
Answer: a) Autonomy
Rationale: Reporting overrides patient autonomy to protect community health.
10. Upstream thinking in public health focuses on:
a) Treating diseases after symptoms appear
b) Addressing root causes of health problems
c) Providing emergency care
d) Managing hospital discharges
Answer: b) Addressing root causes of health problems
Rationale: Upstream thinking targets social, economic, and environmental determinants.
