(1) Complete this sentence: Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of health and disease in ________________.
ANS: groups or populations ("people" is an incomplete answer, since this could also describe medicine)
(2) Fill in the blank: Public health is organized community _______________________ to promote health and prevent disease.
ANS: effort or activity
(3) Identify a way in which epidemiology differs from public health.
ANS: Epidemiology is primarily a "study of." Public health is primarily an activity. Public health comprises many different disciplines. Epidemiology is said to be the core discipline of public health (according to the Institute of Medicine, perhaps an oversimplification).
(4) Briefly identify a way in which epidemiology and public health are similar.
ANS: Both epidemiology and public health are concerned with the prevention of disease and promotion of health.
(5) True or false? The risk of cancer has increased dramatically in modern times.
ANS: False. Many people have the false impression that cancer rates have skyrocketed. However, after one takes account of age, cancer rates have been approximately stable over the past century. (Of course, there are some notable exceptions. For example, lung cancer rates increased and are now decreasing.)
(6) Multiple choice: John Snow's studies of cholera outbreaks proved that cholera was:
(A) waterborne
(B) caused by a bacteria
(C) caused by foul emanation of gases
(D) caused by poverty
ANS: The correct answer is A. Snow's work demonstrated that cholera was transmitted by water contaminated by fecal material. This occurred many years before the cholera bacillus was identified and isolated.
(7) What is the most common cause of death in the United States?
ANS: Cardiovascular disease.
(8) Describe the epidemiologic transition of the 20th century.
ANS: The epidemiologic transition refers to the dramatic changes in morbidity and mortality that have occurred in relation to demographic, biologic, and socioeconomic factors during the 20th century. These changes include increases in longevity, decreases in fertility, and a transition from predominantly infectious diseases causes of illness to a predominance of noninfectious disease.