A principal comments to the school nurse that it seems there are a lot more problems with asthma among the students than there were before the school was remodeled a couple of years ago. The nurse investigates the principal’s observation by reviewing all the school records to determine visits to the health office because of asthma by week and month for the past 5 years. Which of the following best describes the type of study the nurse is conducting?

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: The correct answer is B: Ecological study. In this scenario, the nurse is reviewing school records to investigate the relationship between the school remodeling and the increase in asthma cases among students. This type of study looks at group-level data without focusing on individual-level data. 1. An ecological study examines the relationship between exposure (school remodeling) and outcome (increase in asthma cases) at the population or group level. 2. Descriptive epidemiological study (A) focuses on describing the distribution of a disease within a population but does not investigate causal relationships. 3. Prospective cohort study (C) involves following a group of individuals over time to study the development of specific outcomes. This study is not following individuals but rather looking at group-level data. 4. Option D appears to be incomplete and does not relate to the type of study being conducted. Therefore, the nurse is conducting an ecological study by analyzing school records to determine the association between the school remodeling and the increase in asthma cases among students

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: Step 1: Epidemiology focuses on studying patterns, causes, and effects of health and disease in specific populations. Step 2: Recommending a restaurant closure after a norovirus outbreak investigation aligns with identifying the source and preventing further spread in a population. Step 3: This activity involves data collection, analysis, and intervention to control disease transmission. Step 4: Prescribing antibiotics (A) and teaching diabetes classes (B) are more related to individual healthcare, not population-based disease control. Encouraging family dinners (D) is unrelated to epidemiological principles.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The hallmark feature of an analytic study in epidemiology is the use of an appropriate comparison group (Choice A). This is crucial for determining the relationship between an exposure and an outcome. By comparing individuals with the exposure to those without, researchers can evaluate the association. Randomization (Choice B) is a feature of experimental studies, not analytic epidemiological studies. Confirmation of diagnosis via lab testing (Choice C) is important for accuracy but not specific to analytic studies. Testing a hypothesis (Choice D) is a general research concept and not unique to analytic epidemiological studies.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: The correct answer is C: Prevalence rate. In this case, the nurse is studying the proportion of the population that had pneumonia during the winter months. Prevalence rate measures the total number of existing cases in the population at a specific point in time, which aligns with the nurse's objective to study the proportion of the population affected by pneumonia during the winter months. Incorrect choices: A: Attack rate measures the proportion of people exposed to a particular factor who develop the disease. B: Incidence rate measures the number of new cases of a disease that develop in a population over a specific period. D: Risk ratio compares the risk of developing a disease in the exposed group to the risk in the non-exposed group. In summary, prevalence rate is the appropriate measure as it focuses on the total number of existing cases of pneumonia in the population, while the other choices do not match the nurse's objective in this scenario.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: The correct answer is B: Environment. The epidemiological triad consists of three components - host, agent, and environment. The environment plays a crucial role in determining the interactions between the host and agent, influencing the occurrence and spread of diseases. Susceptibility (A) refers to the host's vulnerability to a disease, portal of exit (C) is the route through which an infectious agent leaves the host, and pathogenicity (D) is the ability of an agent to cause disease. These factors are important in disease transmission but are not part of the epidemiological triad itself.