Deck 7: Health Disparities

Question 1

A public health nurse (PHN) is performing a community assessment in order to reduce the childhood obesity rate in a community. What social determinants of health should the PHN examine? Select all that apply.

A)Location of primary health providers
B)Nutrition and physical education classes in the public schools
C)Housing security
D)Presence of sidewalks within the community
E)Access to fresh produce

Answer 1

Location of primary health providers
Nutrition and physical education classes in the public schools
Presence of sidewalks within the community
Access to fresh produce

Question 2

A research nurse is looking for funding to study health disparities in a community-an ethnically and economically diverse inner city neighborhood. The nurse is trying to apply evidence from controlled studies to see how they correlate in the real world. What type of study is the nurse designing?

A)Translational
B)Causation
C)Correlation
D)Observational

Answer 2

Translational

Question 3

A nurse educator is preparing a lesson on the issues surrounding the Affordable Care Act and universal health care. In 2005, which organization passed a resolution that states that every person should be able to access health-care services regardless of economic status?

A)The Supreme Court
B)The World Health Organization
C)The United Nations
D)The World Health Assembly

Answer 3

The World Health Assembly

Question 4

Researchers have found that investment in which of the following would have had a greater effect on health disparities than the investment in new medical technology?

A)Improving quality of health care
B)Increasing access to education for everyone
C)Implementing universal health care
D)Decreasing crime rate

Question 5

A nurse manager has been working in a community health center for many years. In the recent months, the nurse manager has noticed a dramatic increase in the number of Hispanic clients coming in to the center with uncontrolled diabetes. Which of the following is the best way to address the situation?

A)Speak with local providers about decreasing the length of time between follow-up visits.
B)Involve pharmacists in counseling newly diagnosed patients about their insulin regimen.
C)Perform a community assessment to determine why community members seem unsuccessful in care management.
D)Develop several educational handouts about managing diabetes and have them translated into Spanish.

Question 6

During a lecture on health disparities, a student asks the instructor how communities with great access to health care can still have poor health outcomes. How should the instructor respond?

A)Social determinants of health determine how people respond to health threats and how they access preventative care.
B)The student is incorrect. Communities with good access to care have good health outcomes.
C)This phenomenon only occurs in communities where the quality of health care is poor.
D)Members of these communities only have access to primary-care providers, which reduces the quality of care they receive.

Question 7

Which of the following is the definition of health disparity?

A)A difference in health outcomes
B)An unequal and unjust difference in health outcomes
C)A social factor that impacts health outcomes and contributes to disparity
D)Access to health care for everyone without financial hardship

Question 8

Which of the following statements about Healthy People is correct?

A)Healthy People 2010 was successful in reaching its goal of ending health disparities.
B)Healthy People 2010 focused on climate change as one of the key factors contributing to health inequities.
C)The goal of Healthy People 2020 was expanded to include improving the health of all ages and groups, and to eliminate all health disparities and inequities.
D)The goal of Healthy People 2010 was to reduce health disparities and inequity.

Question 9

In many countries, which factors are associated with a decrease in infant mortality rate?

A)Income
B)Education level
C)Neither A nor B
D)Both A and B

Question 10

A nurse is organizing a round table presentation at a conference. The nurse asks the other participants for suggestions on actions that nurses can take to reduce national health disparities. Which of the following suggestions are known to be effective measures for the reduction of health disparities? Select all that apply.

A)Volunteer with an international organization that supports building infrastructure in underdeveloped areas.
B)Support initiatives that increase physical education classes and healthy school meals.
C)Design and create research studies that address inequities and support vulnerable populations.
D)Discuss social and health disparity information with coworkers to promote awareness.
E)Act as advocates for patients, families, and communities in reducing inequities.

Question 11

A nurse is studying the increased infant mortality rate at a local hospital in a largely African American community. The nurse notes that there are very few options for prenatal care in the community and recognizes that this is an example of:

A)Health disparity.
B)Health inequity.
C)Health injustice.
D)Social determinant of health.

Question 12

A nurse is counseling a young man with obesity and diabetes. The nurse explains that in addition to direct medical costs, indirect costs will likely include:

A)Costs of medication.
B)Lost wages and loss of employment productivity.
C)Decreased lifespan.
D)Increased costs of health insurance.

Question 13

A nurse is performing an assessment of a very economically diverse community and realizes that while comparing income to health outcomes, the nurse must be careful to:

A)Compare only the outcomes of the richest community members to the outcomes of the poorest community members.
B)Recognize that income and outcomes exist on a scale, and look across the entire spectrum.
C)Evaluate only the poorest health outcomes and where they land on the income spectrum.
D)Evaluate only the poorest community members and their health outcomes.

Question 14

Which of the following programs was specifically designed to work toward optimal health for all Americans?

A)Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Health (REACH)
B)Universal Health Care
C)Healthy People 2020
D)Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Question 15

A nurse administrator is teaching staff about populations at risk for poor health outcomes in an attempt to decrease health disparities in the hospital. Which of the following groups does the nurse administrator mention are at higher risk for poor health outcomes related to health disparities? Select all that apply.

A)People who carry private health insurance
B)Families receiving public assistance
C)African Americans
D)Native Americans
E)The middle class

Question 16

A nurse is teaching an in-service for new nurses on the importance of cultural sensitivity when caring for patients. Which of the following statements is incorrect?

A)Ethnic diversity of health-care staff plays little role in the reduction of health-care inequalities.
B)Translators should always be used when a patient does not speak English as a primary language.
C)Nurses and other health-care workers may often display discriminatory behavior without realizing it.
D)Nurses must always work as patient advocates to make sure that the patient is receiving culturally sensitive care.

Question 17

A nurse is working in a community center and notices a high rate of obesity in its members. The nurse suspects that poor access to fresh fruits and vegetables may be partially responsible. What should the nurse do first when formulating a plan?

A)Assess the social determinants in the community.
B)Implement a plan to increase access to fresh produce.
C)Outline the steps needed to address the disparity.
D)Formulate a community diagnosis.

Question 18

A nurse is looking at reasons why members of a community are more likely to die from heart disease. The nurse finds several studies that suggest that social factors, such as ____, are more important than behavioral choices.

A)Smoking
B)High-fat or high-sugar diets
C)Poverty
D)Lack of exercise