PHNA-BC certification EXAM (2026
2027)||| questions and answers with
rationales/graded A+/2026 update/100%
correct /instant download
Domain 1: Foundations of Public Health Nursing & Core Functions
(Questions 1–20)
1. Which of the following best describes the three core public health
functions as identified by the IOM (now HMD)?
A) Prevention, Promotion, Protection
B) Assessment, Policy Development, Assurance
C) Planning, Implementation, Evaluation
D) Surveillance, Intervention, Rehabilitation
Rationale: The three core functions are Assessment (systematically
collecting data on the population), Policy Development (using scientific
knowledge to develop policies), and Assurance (ensuring essential
health services are available).
2. A public health nurse is conducting a community health
assessment. Which of the following data sources would provide the
most reliable information on the leading causes of death in the
community?
A) Community focus groups
B) Hospital admission logs
,C) Vital statistics (death certificates)
D) Local newspaper health columns
Rationale: Vital statistics, which include official death certificates,
provide the most reliable and standardized data on mortality and
cause-specific death rates in a population.
3. According to C.E.A. Winslow’s definition, which of the following
is a goal of public health?
A) Risk assessment for disease
B) Promotion of primary care
C) Organization of medical and nursing services for early diagnosis and
preventive treatment of disease
D) Governmental safety regulations
Rationale: Winslow defined public health as “the science and art of
preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting health through
organized community effort” – including organizing medical and
nursing services for early diagnosis and preventive treatment.
4. A public health nurse is working to reduce health disparities in a
low-income urban community. Which of the following interventions
best addresses the social determinants of health at the population
level?
A) Providing transportation vouchers for individual clinic visits
B) Advocating for a living wage and affordable housing policies
C) Distributing blood pressure cuffs to residents
D) Offering free smoking cessation classes
Rationale: Addressing social determinants (e.g., income, housing,
education) requires policy-level interventions that change the structural
conditions affecting health, not just individual services.
,5. The primary difference between health equality and health equity
is that health equity:
A) Provides the same resources to everyone
B) Allocates resources based on need to achieve equal health outcomes
C) Focuses only on healthcare access
D) Ignores social and economic factors
Rationale: Health equality means everyone gets the same resources;
health equity means resources are distributed based on need, aiming to
eliminate avoidable differences in health outcomes.
6. Public health nurses (PHNs) must approach a public health issue
with an understanding of underlying risk factors from which two
perspectives?
A) Disease; individual
B) Intervention; government
C) Epidemic; population
D) Individual; population
Rationale: PHNs evaluate risk factors from both individual (e.g.,
genetic predisposition, behaviors) and population (e.g., environmental
exposures, social policies) perspectives to develop effective
interventions.
7. A PHN is working with a community that has a high obesity rate.
She suspects limited access to full-service grocery stores and a lack
of safe exercise venues are contributing factors. These issues fall
under which category of determinants of health?
A) Individual behaviors
B) Social and environmental determinants
, C) Genetic predisposition
D) Health care access only
Rationale: The built environment (grocery store access, safe places to
exercise) is a social and environmental determinant of health. The
Dahlgren-Whitehead model places these as the “living and working
conditions” layer.
8. The World Health Organization (WHO) is best described as:
A) The public health arm of the United Nations
B) Working to improve health and well-being for the global population
C) Working with nurses to promote public health interventions
D) All of the above
Rationale: WHO is a specialized agency of the UN that coordinates
international public health efforts, sets norms and standards, and works
with health professionals worldwide.
9. According to the socio-ecological model, which level focuses on
laws, policies, and societal norms?
A) Individual
B) Interpersonal
C) Community
D) Societal (Policy)
Rationale: The societal or policy level of the socio-ecological model
addresses the broader systems such as legislation, economic policies,
and social norms that shape health outcomes.
10. A PHN is leading a community collaboration effort to address a
rise in a specific disease. Evidence shows that community
collaboration increases effectiveness, empowers participants,
2027)||| questions and answers with
rationales/graded A+/2026 update/100%
correct /instant download
Domain 1: Foundations of Public Health Nursing & Core Functions
(Questions 1–20)
1. Which of the following best describes the three core public health
functions as identified by the IOM (now HMD)?
A) Prevention, Promotion, Protection
B) Assessment, Policy Development, Assurance
C) Planning, Implementation, Evaluation
D) Surveillance, Intervention, Rehabilitation
Rationale: The three core functions are Assessment (systematically
collecting data on the population), Policy Development (using scientific
knowledge to develop policies), and Assurance (ensuring essential
health services are available).
2. A public health nurse is conducting a community health
assessment. Which of the following data sources would provide the
most reliable information on the leading causes of death in the
community?
A) Community focus groups
B) Hospital admission logs
,C) Vital statistics (death certificates)
D) Local newspaper health columns
Rationale: Vital statistics, which include official death certificates,
provide the most reliable and standardized data on mortality and
cause-specific death rates in a population.
3. According to C.E.A. Winslow’s definition, which of the following
is a goal of public health?
A) Risk assessment for disease
B) Promotion of primary care
C) Organization of medical and nursing services for early diagnosis and
preventive treatment of disease
D) Governmental safety regulations
Rationale: Winslow defined public health as “the science and art of
preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting health through
organized community effort” – including organizing medical and
nursing services for early diagnosis and preventive treatment.
4. A public health nurse is working to reduce health disparities in a
low-income urban community. Which of the following interventions
best addresses the social determinants of health at the population
level?
A) Providing transportation vouchers for individual clinic visits
B) Advocating for a living wage and affordable housing policies
C) Distributing blood pressure cuffs to residents
D) Offering free smoking cessation classes
Rationale: Addressing social determinants (e.g., income, housing,
education) requires policy-level interventions that change the structural
conditions affecting health, not just individual services.
,5. The primary difference between health equality and health equity
is that health equity:
A) Provides the same resources to everyone
B) Allocates resources based on need to achieve equal health outcomes
C) Focuses only on healthcare access
D) Ignores social and economic factors
Rationale: Health equality means everyone gets the same resources;
health equity means resources are distributed based on need, aiming to
eliminate avoidable differences in health outcomes.
6. Public health nurses (PHNs) must approach a public health issue
with an understanding of underlying risk factors from which two
perspectives?
A) Disease; individual
B) Intervention; government
C) Epidemic; population
D) Individual; population
Rationale: PHNs evaluate risk factors from both individual (e.g.,
genetic predisposition, behaviors) and population (e.g., environmental
exposures, social policies) perspectives to develop effective
interventions.
7. A PHN is working with a community that has a high obesity rate.
She suspects limited access to full-service grocery stores and a lack
of safe exercise venues are contributing factors. These issues fall
under which category of determinants of health?
A) Individual behaviors
B) Social and environmental determinants
, C) Genetic predisposition
D) Health care access only
Rationale: The built environment (grocery store access, safe places to
exercise) is a social and environmental determinant of health. The
Dahlgren-Whitehead model places these as the “living and working
conditions” layer.
8. The World Health Organization (WHO) is best described as:
A) The public health arm of the United Nations
B) Working to improve health and well-being for the global population
C) Working with nurses to promote public health interventions
D) All of the above
Rationale: WHO is a specialized agency of the UN that coordinates
international public health efforts, sets norms and standards, and works
with health professionals worldwide.
9. According to the socio-ecological model, which level focuses on
laws, policies, and societal norms?
A) Individual
B) Interpersonal
C) Community
D) Societal (Policy)
Rationale: The societal or policy level of the socio-ecological model
addresses the broader systems such as legislation, economic policies,
and social norms that shape health outcomes.
10. A PHN is leading a community collaboration effort to address a
rise in a specific disease. Evidence shows that community
collaboration increases effectiveness, empowers participants,
