Deck 3: Comparing Disease Frequencies

Question 1

Which type of measures are the building blocks epidemiologist use to assess the effects of disease on a population?

A) Measures of disease control
B) Measures of disease frequency
C) Measures of disease distribution
D) Measures of disease determinants

Answer 1

Measures of disease frequency

Question 2

The exposed group can also be referred to as which of the following?

A) Index group
B) Control group
C) Reference group
D) Comparison group

Answer 2

Index group

Question 3

Which type of comparison gives information about the strength of the relationship between the exposure and disease and is most useful for etiologic research?

A) Direct standardization
B) Absolute comparison
C) Relative comparison
D) Standard comparison

Answer 3

Relative comparison

Question 4

Some epidemiologists feel that which term of absolute comparison should be discarded because it implies a definite causal relationship?

A) Attributable risk
B) Prevalence difference
C) Incidence rate difference
D) Cumulative incidence difference

Question 5

If the exposure is considered the cause of disease, which measure can be used to calculate the number of disease cases that would be eliminated if the exposure were eliminated?

A) Risk ratio
B) Risk difference
C) Attributable proportion among the exposed (APe)
D) Attributable proportion among the total population (APt)

Question 6

Which of the following represents the numeric value of a relative comparison measure if the exposure prevents disease?

A) 0.81
B) 1.05
C) 1.22
D) 1.37

Question 7

Age-standardized or age-adjusted rates are examples of which type of rates?

A) Crude rates
B) Summary rates
C) Relative rates
D) Attributable rates

Question 8

Absolute comparisons generally give information about the public health impact of exposure.

Question 9

In instances in which no group is clearly unexposed, the group with the greatest exposure is typically used as the reference group.

Question 10

The attributable proportion among the total population is very useful for determining priorities for public health action.

Question 11

To compare disease frequencies, epidemiologists first organize the data into which format?

A) Histogram
B) Pie chart
C) Scatterplot
D) Two-by-two table

Question 12

Risk difference or rate difference is a general term for which of the following?

A) Direct standardization
B) Absolute comparison
C) Relative comparison
D) Standard comparison

Question 13

The attributable proportion among the exposed, a measure of comparison that expresses the public health impact of an exposure as a proportion, is also referred to as which of the following?

A) Incident fraction
B) Prevented fraction
C) Etiologic fraction
D) Epidemiologic fraction

Question 14

Which of the following can be calculated when an exposure is thought to protect against the disease?

A) Incident fraction
B) Prevented fraction
C) Etiologic fraction
D) Epidemiologic fraction

Question 15

Which of the following gives information about the strength of the relationship between the exposure and disease and is most useful for etiologic research?

A) Direct standardization
B) Absolute comparison
C) Relative comparison
D) Standard comparison

Question 16

Direct standardization is one method for calculating which type of rates?

A) Crude rates
B) Summary rates
C) Relative rates
D) Attributable rates

Question 17

A relative measure of comparison is based on the ratio of two measures of which of the following?

A) Disease control
B) Disease frequency
C) Disease distribution
D) Disease determinants

Question 18

Disease frequencies can be compared between different populations or between subgroups within a population.

Question 19

The attributable proportion is used when an exposure is considered to be a cause of the disease.

Question 20

It is difficult to interpret absolute and relative measures based on summary rates when the compared groups differ on a characteristic that affects the rate of disease?