Deck 8: Epidemiological Applications

Question 1

Which one of the following would be the best choice for the nurse researcher who wishes to identify the long-term benefits and risks of a treatment for hyperlipidemia?

A)A cross-sectional study
B)An ecological study
C)A clinical trial
D)A retrospective analysis

Answer 1

A clinical trial

Question 2

Of the following actions proposed by a CHN to prevent problems related to coronary artery disease ( CAD ) in a region with a high prevalence, which one is most likely to have positive outcomes?

A)Introducing heart health information in the curriculum as early as grade 1, presentations on diet and exercise for the community at large, and special education sessions for high-risk populations
B)Providing online activities related to the prevention of cardiac disease, smoking cessation programs, and blood pressure screenings
C)Distributing handouts about age-appropriate games, self-assessments, and educational materials on heart-healthy lifestyles, availability of community screenings for hyperlipidemia in persons age 35 years and older, and walking programs for those affected by CAD
D)Enrolling clients with CAD into cardiac rehabilitation programs, routinely evaluating the effectiveness of CAD treatment regimens, and participating in clinical trials that evaluate interventions for those diagnosed with CAD

Answer 2

Distributing handouts about age-appropriate games, self-assessments, and educational materials on heart-healthy lifestyles, availability of community screenings for hyperlipidemia in persons age 35 years and older, and walking programs for those affected by CAD

Question 3

Which of the following is a CHN implementing when advising a client with osteoporosis to have three servings of milk or dairy products daily?

A)Primary prevention
B)Secondary prevention
C)Tertiary prevention
D)Treatment, but not prevention

Answer 3

Tertiary prevention

Question 4

A CHN determines that out of 8,000 women screened for breast cancer, 35 have previously been diagnosed with a cancer event and 20 are newly diagnosed with a cancer event.What is the prevalence rate in this group?

A)55
B)0.7
C)70%
D)55/8,000

Question 5

The CHN knows that a regular-sized blood pressure (BP) cuff will provide readings that are falsely high if used to measure BP in an obese person and will provide readings that are falsely low if used to measure BP in a small or very thin person.Which of the following does a regular-sized BP cuff lack when used to measure BP in all individuals?

A)Reliability
B)Sensitivity
C)Specificity
D)Validity

Question 6

To find out about substance abuse among students in a local high school, a teacher recommends to the CHN that questionnaires be given to students during various school programs, but the CHN rejects this method.Which situation does the CHN think the teacher's recommendation would create?

A)Classification bias
B)Confounding bias
C)Personal bias
D)Selection bias

Question 7

Epidemiology is a primary tool used by the nurse scientist for researching which of the following topics?

A)Locations where family violence is increasing
B)Contributing factors to childhood obesity
C)Morbidity statistics
D)Population characteristics for healthy older adults

Question 8

When doing which of the following activities does the community health nurse (CHN) act in the role of a nurse epidemiologist?

A)Eliciting the health history of a client presenting with an illness
B)Performing a physical assessment of an ill client
C)Providing treatment and health education to a client with a disease
D)Evaluating the number of clients presenting with similar diseases

Question 9

People with immune deficiencies may have a negative tuberculosis ( TB ) skin test ( Mantoux ), even though they are infected.Which of the following measurements will the CHN conclude to be low when the TB skin test is given to persons with acquired immune deficiency syndrome ( AIDS )?

A)Positive predictive value
B)Reliability
C)Sensitivity
D)Specificity

Question 10

The CHN can enhance the sensitivity and specificity of a test by using its predictive value.Which one of the following best defines positive predictive value?

A)The proportion of persons with a negative test who are actually disease-free
B)The variation inherent in the trait being measured
C)Any inconsistency in the testing instrument
D)The proportion of persons with a positive test who actually have the disease

Question 11

Through which of the following actions would the CHN who wishes to decrease the incidence of obesity in elementary school children provide secondary prevention?

A)Giving a presentation on the importance of exercise and physical fitness
B)Designing a game in which students need to make healthy food choices
C)Weighing students to identify those who are overweight
D)Putting students on a diet if they weigh more than 20% of their ideal weight

Question 12

Which model best explains the reasons why homeless individuals are at increased risk of disease as a result of multiple agent, host, and environmental factors?

A)The web of causality
B)The epidemiological triangle
C)The levels of prevention
D)The Health Promotion Model

Question 13

During the years 2005 to 2010, in a particular district, 1,000 of 10,000 girls aged 16 to 18 years tested positive for a sexually transmitted infection (STI).Of the 1,000 diagnosed STIs, 300 were gonorrhea and 500 were Chlamydia.Which one of the following statements would the CHN recognize as being true?

A)The proportion of cases of gonorrhea to all STIs was 300:1300.
B)The proportion of cases of gonorrhea to Chlamydia was 300:500.
C)The proportion of STIs to the total population was 10 per 1,000.
D)The proportion of cases of gonorrhea to all STIs was 50%.