Deck 30: Vulnerability and Vulnerable Populations: an Overview

Question 1

According to the web of causation model of health and illness, the interaction between numerous causal variables creates a more potent combination of factors predisposing an individual to illness. This implies:

A) Not only are there more variables, but the variables interact resulting in higher probability of illness.
B) One disease causes another, especially in vulnerable populations.
C) The greater the poverty, the more likely people are to have diseases.
D) Nurses should ensure that everyone is immunized because vulnerable populations spread disease.

Answer 1

Not only are there more variables, but the variables interact resulting in higher probability of illness.

Question 2

Vulnerability is multidimensional in that several factors contribute to it. Vulnerability is dynamic and can be counteracted by acquiring resources. Resilience:

A) Makes a person more vulnerable to deficient states
B) Includes the ability to recover from problems and the possession of a sense of inner strength
C) Can be fostered by building up a person's strength and ability to endure adversity
D) Gives nurses a chance to work with vulnerable people

Answer 2

Includes the ability to recover from problems and the possession of a sense of inner strength

Question 3

An example of a health disparity is:

A) Childhood immunization rates
B) High dropout rates
C) Unemployment
D) Income below poverty level

Answer 3

Childhood immunization rates

Question 4

Persons who are self-employed but have inadequate health insurance are considered:

A) Poor
B) Near poor
C) Medically indigent
D) Uninsured

Question 5

There is a trend toward providing more comprehensive, family-centered services when treating vulnerable population groups. One-stop service refers to:

A) Wrap-around services where mental services are linked
B) Giving all immunizations on a single clinic visit
C) Providing multiple services during a single clinic visit
D) Providing free services to the medically indigent
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Test Bank

Question 6

Vulnerable groups and families often have multiple risk factors. An example of this is:

A) Smokers who use chewing tobacco as well as cigarettes
B) Substance abusers who test positive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and who are homeless
C) Persons with limited access to care because they live in a rural area
D) New mothers needing information about baby and child care

Question 7

Which of the following vulnerable groups would be most sensitive to adverse effects?

A) Pregnant teenager living with her parents for financial support
B) Poor, elderly woman with no means of transportation
C) Two-year-old boy of underinsured parents
D) Recently unemployed father of five

Question 8

Which of the following is an example of a priority population group?

A) People earning more than $100,000/year
B) People earning less than $100,000/year
C) Residents of remote rural areas of Canada
D) African American physicians

Question 9

Vulnerable population groups are those who, in comparison with the population as a whole:

A) Are more sensitive to risk factors and have worse health outcomes
B) Have a single risk factor but experience worse health outcomes
C) Have multiple risk factors but equal health outcomes
D) Have worse outcomes with better access to health care

Question 10

Access to health care may be more limited for low socioeconomic groups. Barriers to access are policies and financial, geographical, or cultural features of health care that make services difficult to obtain or so unappealing that people do not wish to seek health care. An example of the removal of a barrier to health care is:

A) Subconscious discrimination by providers that are unwilling to treat certain groups
B) Allowing pets to be treated at the same facility
C) Providing free food at a food bank
D) Providing a mobile van staffed by nurse practitioners to provide services for a rural population

Question 11

A set of actions one undertakes on behalf of another is:

A) Social justice
B) Advocacy
C) Linguistically appropriate health care
D) A waiver

Question 12

An approach to making health care more readily available to certain populations by implementing health education, counseling, or support services in places where people normally congregate (such as places of worship, schools, workplaces, and community centers) is called:

A) Case finding
B) Wrap-around services
C) Outreach
D) Comprehensive services

Question 13

Social justice refers to providing humane care and social support for the most disadvantaged members of society. How can nurses promote social justice? Nurses can:

A) Contact lawmakers about the hazards of being a vulnerable person
B) Assist in homeless shelters to promote the health and well-being of residents
C) Function as advocates for policy changes to improve social, economic, and environmental factors that predispose vulnerable populations to poor health
D) Refer to Healthy People 2010 for guidance in social policy mandates

Question 14

The wide variations in health services and health status between certain population groups are called:

A) Priority population groups
B) Health disparities
C) Disadvantaged populations
D) Risk markers

Question 15

The primary cause of vulnerability is:

A) Race
B) Age
C) Poverty
D) Illness

Question 16

The differential vulnerability hypothesis refers to:

A) The resistance of certain groups to risk factors
B) The possession of and/or an increased susceptibility to multiple cumulative risk factors in vulnerable groups
C) The variability in the effects of stressors according to socioeconomic status
D) The increased sensitivity of the very young and the very old to risk factors

Question 17

A significant problem related to the deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill is:

A) Insufficient community mental health services
B) An increase in independent living settings with excessive supervision
C) Mentally ill clients of all ages are admitted to nursing homes
D) Increased cost of care

Question 18

When planning and implementing care for vulnerable populations, nurses may fill numerous roles. Which of the following are possible roles?

A) Setting up multiple clinics in a wide geographic area
B) Legal advisors on a variety of issues
C) Making laws to protect the homeless
D) Teaching vulnerable individuals, families, and groups strategies to prevent illness and promote health

Question 19

Extreme poverty in the form of homelessness affects women, children, and minorities more often than others. Those who are homeless:

A) Need more nursing care than other vulnerable groups
B) Have no desire to seek medical care
C) Have even fewer resources than poor people who have adequate housing
D) Are living in despair with no hope or resilience

Question 20

The largest federal support program for the elderly and poor Americans was created with which of the following?

A) Social Security Act
B) Medicare Amendment
C) Medicaid Amendment
D) Hill-Burton Act

Question 21

Which of the following are more likely to be affected by poverty?

A) Women
B) Men
C) Two-parent families
D) Adoptive families

Question 22

The core functions of public health include assessment, policy, and surveillance. Guidelines for assessing members of vulnerable population groups start with "setting the stage." This includes which of the following? Select all that apply.

A) Creating a comfortable, nonthreatening environment
B) Providing culturally and linguistically competent assessment
C) Collaborating with others as appropriate
D) Providing financial and legal advice

Question 23

Over the years there have been different foci for care of vulnerable populations. Which of the following are trends related to caring for vulnerable populations? Select all that apply.

A) Community-based care and interorganizational partnerships
B) Outreach and case finding
C) Elimination of disparities
D) Culturally and linguistically appropriate care

Question 24

A 17-year-old pregnant cocaine addict who is homeless is considered:

A) At risk
B) A special population
C) A Healthy People 2010 target group
D) A vulnerable individual

Question 25

The nurse works with a group of abused women to enhance their levels of self-esteem. Of what level of prevention is this an example?

A) Primary level of prevention
B) Secondary level of prevention
C) Tertiary level of prevention
D) Health promotion

Question 26

The risk of low birth weight or prematurity is greater:

A) For younger teen mothers
B) For the first birth to a teen
C) With excessive weight gain in the mother
D) With low fat intake

Question 27

A measure of a patient's ability to read, comprehend, and act on medical instructions is:

A) Health literacy
B) Ethnicity
C) Medical training
D) Disparity