ATI RN
Questions on Epidemiology Questions
Question 1 of 5
Which statement is true concerning tuberculosis (TB) infections in the United States?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The principle of multicausation emphasizes that an infectious agent alone is not sufficient to cause disease; the agent must be transmitted within a conducive environment to a susceptible host. Mycobacterium tuberculosis kills cells. M. tuberculosis has low infectivity, low pathogenicity, but high virulence if untreated.
Question 2 of 5
When trying to determine whether the swine flu outbreak was getting worse, which rate should be carefully observed?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The incidence rate of new cases would be most useful for detecting short-term acute disease changes, because the swine flu duration is usually relatively short. The prevalence rate is the number of all cases of a specific disease or condition in a population at a given point in time. Crude death rates summarize the occurrence of mortality. An age-specific death rate characterizes the death rates of a particular age group in the population.
Question 3 of 5
A researcher, interested in the onset of early menses, compared the life experiences and history of 1000 14-year-old girls, half of whom had monthly periods and half of whom did not, to determine what variables might be observed. Which would be the most appropriate categorization of this study?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: When a study looks at individuals with a particular condition in comparison with those who do not have the disease, based on their exposures to various life situations, it is a retrospective study; that is, the study requires participants to look back at previous experiences. A cross-sectional study examines relationships between potential causal factors and disease at a specific time. A prospective study monitors a group of disease-free individuals to determine if and when disease occurs. A true experiment involves both an experimental group who receives an intervention and a control group who does not receive an intervention.
Question 4 of 5
In which one of the following circumstances will the prevalence of a disease in the population increase, all else being constant?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Prevalence = Incidence × Duration. If survival time with the disease increases (B), duration rises, increasing prevalence (e.g., better treatment for HIV increases the number living with it). A decreases incidence, lowering prevalence. C shortens duration via faster recovery, reducing prevalence. D increases the population size but not prevalence (proportion) if incidence and duration are constant.
Question 5 of 5
What is a pandemic?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: A pandemic (B) is a widespread outbreak across multiple countries or continents (e.g., COVID-19). A is an epidemic, C is localized, and D is seasonal (e.g., flu), not necessarily pandemic.