Introduction to Epidemiology Midterm
Questions and Answers (graded A)
What is epidemiology? - ANSWER What is brought upon people
What is a study? - ANSWER quantitative discipline based on principles of statistics and research methods
What is distribution? - ANSWER distribution of health events within groups in a population.
characterizing health events in terms of person, place, and time
What are determinants? - ANSWER causes or factors associated with increased risk/probability of
disease
What is used in descriptive epidemiology? Analytical epidemiology? Applied epidemiology? - ANSWER
Distribution... determinants... control
What is health-related state? - ANSWER anything you can think of
What is control? - ANSWER Epi methods steer public health decision-making and aid in developing and
evaluating interventions
What does epidemiology try to do? - ANSWER 1. identify causes of disease and risk factors
2. determine the extent of the disease in the community
3. examine the natural history of the disease and prognosis
4. evaluate effectiveness of interventions and treatments
5. provide input of public policy
How are descriptive statistics evaluated? - ANSWER Means, counts, percentages
,What is the epidemiologic transition? - ANSWER changes in causes of death necessitate changes in the
type of research being done
Before epidemiology, how did we determine what caused diseases? - ANSWER No concept of testing
hypotheses in a systematic way in groups of people, no structured way of evaluating information
What caused the bubonic plague before epidemiology came in? - ANSWER Punishment from God,
contact with lepers, walking in the hot sun, miasmas
What is a miasma? What diseases were attributed to it? - ANSWER Noxious vapors caused by decaying
matter, attributed to cholera, bubonic plague, malaria
What did John Graunt do? - ANSWER summarized pattern of mortality in 17th century London
What did James Lind do? - ANSWER used an experimental study to discover cause of scurvy in the 18th
century
What did John Snow do? - ANSWER showed that cholera was transmitted by fecal contamination of
drinking water in 19th century through distribution study
Where does most of the data come from in the United States? - ANSWER governmental and non-
governmental agencies on a routine basis or by special surveys
What can these special surveys collect data on? - ANSWER deaths, acute illnesses and injuries, chronic
conditions, and pregnancy outcomes
What is the HHS and what is in it? - ANSWER US department of health and human services: centers for
disease control and prevention (CDC monitoring and surveillance, health promotion) and NIH (funds and
conducts research on treatment and prevention)
What is housed in the US Department of Agriculture? - ANSWER National dietary guidelines, WIC and
SNAP programs (woman, infants, children// supplemental nutrition assistance programs)
, What is the census what does it collect info on? What can be used? - ANSWER Every 10 years, individual
and household age, race, Edu, occupation, insurance coverage, income, disability
Calculating rates in populations so that we can compare disease burden and trends
How is the census problematic? - ANSWER undercounting in minority populations, undocumented,
households in minority small country areas could be targeted so introduced noise into the public data to
protect them
What are vital statistics? Why are they important? - ANSWER information collected at time of birth and
death. OLDEST DATA SYSTEMS USED FOR DISEASE SURVEILLANCE
Accurate cause of death ascertainment has broad implications for understanding disease burden
throughout the US
What does the National Health and Nutrition examination survey do? - ANSWER gathers data on health
and diet of US population, includes interviews and health tests
What does the National health interview survey do? - ANSWER Gathers data on major health problems
& healthcare utilization
What does the National survey of family growth do? - ANSWER Gathers data on marriage, divorce, family
planning, & infertility
Both men & women are included from all 50 states
What does the behavioral risk factor surveillance system do? - ANSWER telephone survey on health risk
behaviors related to chronic disease, injuries, & death
Incudes use of screening & preventive services, smoking, alcohol use, physical activities, F/V
consumption, seatbelt use, & weight control
What does the National Health care survey do? - ANSWER Set of surveys about use/quality of health
care & impact of medical technology in hospital inpatient & outpatient departments, ERs, hospices,
home health agencies, & physician's offices
Questions and Answers (graded A)
What is epidemiology? - ANSWER What is brought upon people
What is a study? - ANSWER quantitative discipline based on principles of statistics and research methods
What is distribution? - ANSWER distribution of health events within groups in a population.
characterizing health events in terms of person, place, and time
What are determinants? - ANSWER causes or factors associated with increased risk/probability of
disease
What is used in descriptive epidemiology? Analytical epidemiology? Applied epidemiology? - ANSWER
Distribution... determinants... control
What is health-related state? - ANSWER anything you can think of
What is control? - ANSWER Epi methods steer public health decision-making and aid in developing and
evaluating interventions
What does epidemiology try to do? - ANSWER 1. identify causes of disease and risk factors
2. determine the extent of the disease in the community
3. examine the natural history of the disease and prognosis
4. evaluate effectiveness of interventions and treatments
5. provide input of public policy
How are descriptive statistics evaluated? - ANSWER Means, counts, percentages
,What is the epidemiologic transition? - ANSWER changes in causes of death necessitate changes in the
type of research being done
Before epidemiology, how did we determine what caused diseases? - ANSWER No concept of testing
hypotheses in a systematic way in groups of people, no structured way of evaluating information
What caused the bubonic plague before epidemiology came in? - ANSWER Punishment from God,
contact with lepers, walking in the hot sun, miasmas
What is a miasma? What diseases were attributed to it? - ANSWER Noxious vapors caused by decaying
matter, attributed to cholera, bubonic plague, malaria
What did John Graunt do? - ANSWER summarized pattern of mortality in 17th century London
What did James Lind do? - ANSWER used an experimental study to discover cause of scurvy in the 18th
century
What did John Snow do? - ANSWER showed that cholera was transmitted by fecal contamination of
drinking water in 19th century through distribution study
Where does most of the data come from in the United States? - ANSWER governmental and non-
governmental agencies on a routine basis or by special surveys
What can these special surveys collect data on? - ANSWER deaths, acute illnesses and injuries, chronic
conditions, and pregnancy outcomes
What is the HHS and what is in it? - ANSWER US department of health and human services: centers for
disease control and prevention (CDC monitoring and surveillance, health promotion) and NIH (funds and
conducts research on treatment and prevention)
What is housed in the US Department of Agriculture? - ANSWER National dietary guidelines, WIC and
SNAP programs (woman, infants, children// supplemental nutrition assistance programs)
, What is the census what does it collect info on? What can be used? - ANSWER Every 10 years, individual
and household age, race, Edu, occupation, insurance coverage, income, disability
Calculating rates in populations so that we can compare disease burden and trends
How is the census problematic? - ANSWER undercounting in minority populations, undocumented,
households in minority small country areas could be targeted so introduced noise into the public data to
protect them
What are vital statistics? Why are they important? - ANSWER information collected at time of birth and
death. OLDEST DATA SYSTEMS USED FOR DISEASE SURVEILLANCE
Accurate cause of death ascertainment has broad implications for understanding disease burden
throughout the US
What does the National Health and Nutrition examination survey do? - ANSWER gathers data on health
and diet of US population, includes interviews and health tests
What does the National health interview survey do? - ANSWER Gathers data on major health problems
& healthcare utilization
What does the National survey of family growth do? - ANSWER Gathers data on marriage, divorce, family
planning, & infertility
Both men & women are included from all 50 states
What does the behavioral risk factor surveillance system do? - ANSWER telephone survey on health risk
behaviors related to chronic disease, injuries, & death
Incudes use of screening & preventive services, smoking, alcohol use, physical activities, F/V
consumption, seatbelt use, & weight control
What does the National Health care survey do? - ANSWER Set of surveys about use/quality of health
care & impact of medical technology in hospital inpatient & outpatient departments, ERs, hospices,
home health agencies, & physician's offices
