Health Science 345
Final Exam Study Items
Spring 2009
1. The most prevalent, costly, and preventable chronic diseases include which of the
following:
a. Cardiovascular disease (primarily heart disease and stroke)
b. Cancer
c. Diabetes
d. All of the above
2. The leading cause of death in the U.S. isa. Heart disease
b. Cancer
c. Hypertension
d. HIV/AIDS
3. The cost of chronic disease in the U.S. is estimated to be approximatelya. 1.5 billion dollars
b. 1.5 trillion dollars
c. 1,729 dollars per household
d. None of the above
4. The most common cause of disability in the U.S. isa. Auto accidents
b. Heart disease
c. Arthritis
d. Cancer
5. Which of the following are chronic disease indicatorsa. Changes in physical activity
b. Poor nutrition
c. Use of Tobacco and alcohol
d. All of the above
6. Public health educators use the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
(YRBSS) to obtaina. Prevalence data
b. Trend data
c. Responses a and b
d. Primary health data
7. There is a direct correlation between income and cigarette smoking behavior,
which is the more you earn the more likely it is that you would smoke.
a. True
b. False
8. Which of the following ethnic groups are most likely to have smoked cigarettes
every day of their lives?
a. Hispanics
b. African Americans
c. Asian Americans
d. Native Americans
9. The more educated you are the more likely it is that you have never smoked.
a. True
b. False
10. Who is more likely to have never smoked tobacco?
a. Males
b. Females
11. According to National Institutes of Health, National Heart Lung, and Blood
Institute, what percentage of the U.S. adult population are either obese or
overweight?
a. 25%
b. 55%
c. 75%
d. None of the above
12. Which of the following is or are correct about the relationship between exercise,
diet, and caloric intake?
a. The addition of exercise to a diet with restricted caloric intake promotes
fat loss, while maintaining fat free mass.
b. Physical activity, without caloric restriction, minimally if at all affects fat
loss.
c. To optimize weight loss, a combination of diet and exercise is best, and
that exercise alone will not suffice.
d. All of the above
13. Which of the following are predictors or mediators of poor nutrition?
a. Rating the taking care of one’s health very highly
b. Motivation towards dietary changes
c. High self-efficacy about increasing physical activity,
d. All of the above
14. There is a controversy over which is better with respect to loosing weight, diet or
exercise. Which of the following, if any, are true?
a. According to the Pew Research Center, about a third (34 percent) of
Americans are neither exercising nor dieting
b. Eight percent are dieting but not exercising; and
c. Forty percent are exercising but not dieting.
d. All of the above
15. Dieting and exercise are equally good as strategies for taking off unwanted
pounds.
a. True
b. False
16. Many truly obese people don't eat any more than their non-obese counterparts, but
engage in far less physical activity as well.
a. True
b. False
17. Which of the following is correcta. Excess fat in the abdominal area independently increases an individual’s
risk of insulin resistance and high blood lipids.
b. This distribution of body fat is a strong predictor of cardiovascular
disease.
c. The loss of abdominal fat is associated with a decreased risk of
cardiovascular disease.
d. All of the above
18. It has been shown that exercising individuals, who do not experience any overall
weight loss, decrease their risk of suffering from cardiovascular disease.
a. True
b. False
19. In the event that weight loss is not achieved in response to a weight loss program,
a person who is at increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD), or its
comorbid conditions (i.e., high blood pressure, glucose intolerance, insulin
resistance), still benefits from regular aerobic exercise program.
a. True
b. False
20. New findings from one of the most comprehensive health surveys in the nation
may have shed light on one of the reasons obesity and diabetes are tough
problems to solve, which of the following is/are correct
a. Primary care physicians aren't talking enough about the need for good
nutrition and exercise.
b. Doctors are prescribing the wrong kind of nutrition program.
c. Doctors are prescribing the wrong kind of exercise program.
d. All of the above
21. Studies show that primary care physicians spend most of their valuable time with
a patient addressinga. Primary prevention
b. Secondary prevention
c. Tertiary prevention
d. Treatment
22. Health disparities can be described asa. Population-specific differences in the presence of disease
b. Population-specific differences in health outcomes
c. Population-specific differences in access to health care
d. All of the above
23. In public health when we speak of “minority health” we are refereeing toa. The health of all ethnic or religious groups who represent less than 50% of
the total U.S. population
b. The health of all people who earn less than the Department of Labor’s
poverty level
c. The health of ethnic minorities for whom their political, social, and
economic influence is less than their percentage of the U.S. population
d. The health of Hispanic people only
24. The cause of health disparities in the U.S. includea. Substandard quality of health care
b. Inadequate access to health care
c. Response A and B
d. At this time we do not know what the cause of health disparities are
25. The Strategic Framework for Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities is
intended toa. Guide, organize and coordinate the systematic planning, implementation
and evaluation to come up with effective public health strategies to
remediate the problem
b. Reinforce the importance of using science and knowledge
c. Demonstrate the need for funds to address minority health issues
d. All of the above
26. When referring to the “impact” of a health intervention program, a health
educator is speaking ofa. Increased awareness/knowledge about disease prevention
b. Risk reduction
c. Improved treatment opportunities for racial/ethnic minorities
d. All of the above
27. When referring to the “impact” of a health intervention program, a health
educator is speaking ofa. Increased engagement in the adoption of healthy lifestyle and the
demonstration of appropriate health-seeking behaviors
b. Reduced morbidity and mortality
c. Responses A and B
d. Living a longer and healthier life
28. Measures long-term outcomes of public health programs refer toa. Reduced morbidity
b. Reduced mortality
c. Less days of lost time at work
d. All of the above
29. Public health goals, by definition, are never achieved.
a. True
b. False
30. A public health program objective contains which of the following elements?
a. Measureable outcome
b. A time frame
c. The circumstances under which the outcome will occur
d. All of the above
31. Health equity refers to which of the following?
a. Absence of systematic disparities in health
b. Absence of major social determinants of ill health
c. The reduction or elimination of group-differences such as wealth, power,
prestige
d. All of the above
32. Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) area. Synthetic and naturally occurring chemicals
b. Chemicals that affect the balance of normal hormone functions in humans
c. Estrogen or androgen modulators
d. All of the above
33. Endocrine Disruptors effecta. Fetuses and newborns
b. Se hormones
c. Sperm production
d. All of the above
34. Difficulty in becoming pregnant is associated with exposure to pesticides.
a. True
b. False
35. Women exposed to pesticides may have difficulty maintaining their pregnancy.
a. True
b. False
36. Breast Cancer is caused by endocrine disrupting chemicals.
a. True
b. False
37. Endometriosis is a condition that may be associated with pesticides. Which of the
following is descriptive of the condition?
a. Uterine lining migrate to other pelvic organs
b. Pain, internal bleeding, and infertility
c. Responses A and B
d. None of the above
38. Which of the following childhood conditions are correlated with endocrine
disruptors?
a. Hyperactivity
b. Learning problems
c. Attention problems
d. All of the above
39. During the differentiation of reproductive organs, hormones, growth factors, and
other endogenous chemical mediators regulate gene expression and direct
differentiation.\
a. True
b. False
40. One marked difference between exposure to endocrine disruptors during critical
periods in development versus during adulthood is the irreversibility of an effect
during development.
a. True
b. False
41. Disruption of the action of estrogen (the female hormone) or androgen (the male
hormone) during critical periods (for example, when the fetus is rapidly
developing in the mother’s body) can lead to permanent alterations in the
development of reproductive organs and other tissues with receptors for these
hormones.
a. True
b. False
42. A study found that children of agricultural workers have about _______ exposure
to organophosphate pesticides than other children in the same community.
a. A 4 times greater
b. Half the
c. The same
d. All of the above
43. While public health research has provided an incomplete relationship between
endocrine disruptors and chronic health problems, it is clear that the is sufficient
data regarding:
a. Exposure rates for adults
b. Exposure rates for children
c. Use of pesticides at public schools
d. None of the above
44. There is no comprehensive, readily-available national or state-by-state data on the
amount and kinds of pesticides being used in schools.
a. True
b. False
45. Although regulations require pest control companies to keep records for two years
on the amount and site of pesticide applications, only one state requires them to
report the information.
a. True
b. False
46. All U.S. states collect information on exposure patterns to pesticides in schools.
a. True
b. False
47. There are no standard criteria for clearly identifying illnesses linked to pesticide
exposure; misclassification of pesticide illness is common.
a. True
b. False
48. Children are particularly vulnerable to risks associated with pesticides, including
elevated rates of leukemia and brain cancer.
a. True
b. False
49. Which of the following are recommended public health interventions for reducing
the negative health effects of pesticides on children?
a. When a school uses pesticides it should notify parents and teachers a day
in advance.
b. The least toxic materials possible to do the job should be used.
c. People should not be allowed back into the buildings until the residue is
gone.
d. All of the above
50. Public health law isa. The study of the legal powers and duties of the state to assure the
conditions for people to be healthy
b. The limitations on the power of the state to constrain the legally protected
interests of individuals for the common good
c. Responses A and B
d. None of the above
51. What is social justice?
a. Civil justice
b. The administration of law.
c. A full share of society’s benefits
d. All of the above
52. With respect to social justice, those who see themselves as politically
conservative believea. A just society is best achieved through the operation of a free market
b. In an extensive welfare safety net
c. Government’s role is to regulate
d. All of the above
53. Which of the following ethical arguments asserts that decisions should be judged
by their consequences, in particular by their effect on the sum total of individual
well being?
a. Utilitarianism
b. Liberalism
c. Communitarianism
d. All of the above
54. Those who would rely on an expert-determined inde of health status—like
Quality-Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) or Disability-Adjusted Life Years
(DALYs)—to measure the consequences of alternative decisions follows which of
the following?
a. Subjective Utilitarians
b. Objective Utilitarians
c. Non-Utilitarians
d. All of the above
55. Moral realism refers toa. The position that morality can be learned from experience
b. Moral truth is revealed to us by our emotions or intuition
c. Moral positions can be justified through religious teachings
d. All of the above
56. It is not possible to predict if or when a particular virus will cause a pandemic,
history suggests that one or more pandemics will occur in this century.
a. True
b. False
57. The reason U.S. public health authorities will have to wait 3 and 6 months after an
outbreak of pandemic flu before the first doses of a vaccine against the particular
strain of the virus will be available isa. The infrastructure to manufacture the vaccine is being put together
b. There is no way to store vaccine for more than two months
c. A vaccine can only be developed once the virus has mutated to the form
that will migrate from human to human
d. More than one of the above
58. When considering the ethical issues of allocating scarce resource, the Principle of
Conservation refers toa. Priority is given to those who use proportionally less resources
b. Priority given to those who are considered by society to have the greatest
social worth (past or future)
c. Priority given to those who have primary responsibilities to dependents
(parents, nursing home attendants, etc.)
d. Priority given to those considered most helpless or generally neediest in
society
59. Which of the following is considered a scarce resource allocation method?
a. Ability to Pay
b. Queue
c. Random Selection
d. All of the above
60. Which of the following ideas is not part of the Social Marketing approach?
a. Increasing accessibility of ideas or practices within large groups
b. Applying marketing techniques to the introduction and dissemination of
ideas and practices
c. A strategy for translating scientific knowledge into effective education
programs
d. All of the above are part of the Social Marketing approach
61. Which of the following is not part of Social Marketing?
a. Ideas
b. Attitudes and beliefs
c. Lifestyle changes
d. Concrete products and services
62. Social Marketing is driven bya. Consumer needs
b. Products being developed
c. Price point
d. All of the above
63. The Barriers to a Consumer Orientation in the Social Marketing approach include
all of the following excepta. The needs of a population
b. The failure to cull out subgroups within a population that undermine valid
need assessment
c. Community infighting that place organizational needs above community
needs
d. Organizational bias that favor “expert-determined needs of the
community”
64. The idea of “Exchange” in Social Marketing refers to individuals, groups and
organizations who have resources that can be offered for other resources for a
perceived benefits, these includea. Information dissemination
b. Public relations
c. Lobbying efforts and advocacy causes
d. All of the above
65. The idea of “Exchange” in Social Marketing can occur at different levels, these
include-
a. Threats and Coercions
b. Commands
c. Voluntary actions
d. All of the above
66. In Social Marketing Audience Analysis refers to all of the following excepta. Why would they? (benefits)
b. Socio-Economic Status of the members
c. Why not? (barriers)
d. Who has an influence on them? (social norms)
67. In Social Marketing segmentation refers toa. Dividing the larger and more heterogeneous populations into smaller,
more homogeneous groups
b. Creating groups of people or organizations that are similar in terms of how
they respond
c. Putting together groups for whom interventions can be tailored to specific
audience needs rather than reliance on ‘blanket’ approach
d. All of the above
68. In Social Marketing selecting a channel refers toa. Identifying the best TV or radio station to attract the largest audience
b. Finding a conduit through which a program can be communicated to the
target audience
c. Choosing the correct newspaper, electronic mass media outlet, or other
means of communication
d. Two of the above
69. Formative research in Social Marketing refers to pretesting of ideas, messages,
and methods with representatives of the target group before implementation of a
program.
a. True
b. False
70. According to the textbook definition of Public Health would include:
a. The science and art of preventing disease, prolong life, and promoting
health
b. Fulfilling society’s interest in assuring conditions in which people can be
health
c. The nation’s health infrastructure’s response to the need to treat health
challenges
d. Two of the above
71. When referring to the “capacity” of the Public Health System, one is referring toa. The resources and relationships necessary to carry out the core functions
and essential services of public health
b. Those collective practices or processes that are necessary and sufficient to
assure that the core functions and essential services of public health are
being carried out effectively
c. Indicators of health status, risk reduction, and quality-of-life enhancement
outcomes
d. All of the above
72. Public Health is associated with which of the followinga. Social justice
b. Politics
c. Economics
d. All of the above
73. The great Public Health achievements in the U.S. during the twentieth century
include:
a. Vaccination
b. Motor-vehicle safety
c. Safer work places
d. All of the above
74. Public Health has had a major impact on crude death rates declining during the
twentieth century.
a. True
b. False
75. Public Health has had a major impact on annual morbidity rates declining during
the twentieth century.
a. True
b. False
76. As a result of Public Health efforts there has been which of the following changes
in U.S. health statisticsa. Decline in infectious disease
b. Decline in chronic disease
c. Increase in chronic disease
d. Two of the above
77. Which of the following are know public health risk factors?
a. Tobacco use
b. Diet
c. Risk taking behavior
d. All of the above
78. Despite the recent emphasis on behavioral risk factors, risk factors in the physical
environment remain important influences on health.
a. True
b. False
79. The number one cause of death in the United States isa. Malignant neoplasm
b. HIV/AIDS
c. Heart disease
d. Cerebrovascular disease
80. Which one of the following is most closely associated with poor child health
among low income families as compared to high income families?
a. Severe asthma
b. Iron-deficiency anemia
c. Child neglect
d. Pneumonia
81. Direct and indirect contributing factors are a category of risk factors which-
a. Most closely associated with the health outcomes
b. Play a role further back in the chain of causation
c. Are either individual or population associated
d. All of the above
82. Economists assert that the future costs for care and services that result from
prevention of mortality must be considered a negative benefit of prevention.
a. True
b. False
83. Health People 2010a. Sets bench marks for future public health goals and objectives
b. Is a means of assessing the overall progress being made by the public
health profession
c. Is a means of establishing the public health profession’s credibility with
the American people
d. All of the above
84. Which of the following is true with respect to cigarette smoking?
a. Adolescent smoking has declined between 1990 and 1997
b. Adult smoking has increased between 1990 and 1997
c. Overall smoking in the U.S. has decreased
d. There has been no change in U.S. smoking behavior
85. Which of the following is not a public health achievement during the twentieth
century?
a. Decline in infant mortality
b. Decline in maternal mortality
c. Decrease in the cost of public health services
d. Responses A and B
86. According to the textbook, which of the following changes are anticipated during
the twenty-first century?
a. More managed health care
b. Greater understanding of the health care needs of the U.S. population
c. More inclusive approach to health
d. All of the above
87. Based upon a review of the successes of the U.S. health care system, the future
will see which of the following?
a. More investment in primary health care
b. Greater emphasis on prevention and health promotion
c. Greater role to be played by the public health system
d. Two of the above
88. Which level of government has had the greatest increase in expenditures on
health-related issues since 1960?
a. State
b. Local
c. Federal
d. All are approximately the same
89. Federal public health spending as a percent of total federal health spending since
1960 has-
a. Increased
b. Decreased
c. Remained constant
90. Modern public health is organized into which of the following functionsa. Preventing epidemics
b. Protecting against environmental hazards
c. Preventing injuries
d. All of the above
91. The purpose of a focused epidemiologic investigation isa. Determine the identify and source of a disease outbreak
b. Determine the mode of transmission of a disease agent
c. Determine who is at risk when an illness occurs in a community
d. All of the above
92. The primary reason for collecting, analyzing, and sharing information on disease
is toa. Better understanding the nature of the disease agent
b. Control the disease agent
c. Plan for future outbreaks
d. None of the above
93. Variola major is a biological agent used by bioterrorists, it is also known asa. Smallpox
b. Anthrax
c. Plague
d. Botulism
94. The mean salary for full-time state and local health agencies is currentlya. $30,208
b. $39,359
c. $42,872
d. $50,344
95. The title of the public health administer who directs, plans, analyzes, and
coordinates public health services isa. Health Services Manager
b. Health Agency Manager
c. Health Officer
d. None of the above
96. The public health professional responsible for protection of and restoration of the
environment isa. Environmental Engineer
b. Environmental Specialist
c. Occupational Health and Safety Specialist
d. None of the above
97. Over the next 10 years, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that job growth
will be greater than average for environmental engineers.
a. True
b. False
98. The public health profession responsible for analyzing morbidity and mortality
data isa. Epidemiologist
b. Public Health Nurse
c. Biostatistician
d. Public Health Physician
99. The public health profession responsible for planning, implementing and
evaluating specific behavior change programs isa. Epidemiologist
b. Public Health Nurse
c. Biostatistician
d. Public Health Educator
100.
The public health profession responsible for designing life-style change
programs more often than not will have which of the following terminal degreesa. Ph.D.
b. BA
c. BS
d. MPH
101.
The most prevalent chronic disease is:
a. Cardiovascular disease (primarily heart disease and stroke)
b. Cancer
c. Diabetes
d. None of the above
102.
Leading Causes of Death in the U.S. is a. Disease of the heart
b. Cancer
c. Stroke
d. Respiratory disease
103.
The cost of chronic disease in the U.S. in 2005 is approximately –
a. $100 per household
b. $1,000 per household
c. $17,000 per household
d. $170,000 per household
104.
Which of the following public health intervention programs were effective
in reducing a chronic health problem –
a. Water fluoridation
b. Smoking cessation
c. Arthritis Self-Help Courses
d. All of the above
105.
Which of the following is not a chronic disease indicator –
a. Level of physical activity
b. Quality of nutrition
c. Use of tobacco
d. Use of alcohol use
e. All of the above are chronic disease indicators
106.
There is a relationship between the probability of smoking tobacco and
membership in a racial group.
a. True
b. False
107.
There is a relationship between the probability of smoking tobacco and
level of education attained.
a. True
b. False
108.
If you are a female you are more likely to have smoked tobacco.
a. True
b. False
109.
One-sixth of the added years of life expectancy is a result of public health
interventions as compared to clinical medical advances.
a. True
b. False
110.
Edward Jenner is associated with which one of the following public health
accomplishments?
a. Development of the smallpo vaccine
b. Introduction of epidemiology
c. The Germ Theory of Disease
d. The four postulates of infectious disease
111.
The control of cholera is associated with which one of the following
individuals –
a. Edward Jenner
b. John Snow
c. Louis Pasteur
d. None of the above
112.
The U.S. Public Health Service was created as a result of a. The construction of the first marine hospital
b. The epidemic of 1918
c. The Surgeon Generals report on tobacco smoking
d. None of the above
113.
Which of the following is true about public health today –
a. “Old” infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis, are no longer a concern
b. “Newer” diseases, such as West Nile virus and Severe Acute Respiratory
Syndrome (SARS), have been successfully eliminated.
c. Infectious agents have a difficult time moving across the world
d. “Chronic” conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer and obesity,
have become the leading causes of death and disability
e. None of the above
114.
Which of the following are the goals of Healthy People 2010
a. To increase quality and years of healthy life
b. To eliminate health disparities
c. Responses a and b
d. None of the above
115.
Health as a federal responsibility is not specifically mentioned in the U.S
Constitution.
a. True
b. False
116.
Which of the following is true about how public health is structured in the
United Statesa. Primary responsibility and authority is assigned to federal, state and local
public health agencies
b. Federal agencies set policy and funding;
c. State agencies define policies and help fund local or regional public health
initiatives; and
d. Local health departments implement public health programs.
e. All of the above
117.
Health disparities are a. Population-specific differences in the presence of disease
b. Population-specific differences in health outcomes
c. Access to health care
d. All of the above
118.
The Causes of Health Disparities include a. Inadequate Access to Care
b. Substandard Quality of Care
c. Responses a and b
d. Neither response a or b
119.
Culture includes a. An integrated pattern of human behavior that includes thoughts,
communications, languages, practices, beliefs, values
b. Patterns of behaviors transmitted by symbols
c. Set of rules and norms that promote stability and harmony within a society
d. All of the above
120.
Cultural competence includesa. The integration and transformation of knowledge about individuals and
groups of people into specific standards, policies, practices, and attitudes
b. Information used in appropriate cultural settings to increase the quality of
health services,
c. Information used to better health outcomes
d. All of the above