Deck 5: Sources of Data for Use in Epidemiology

Question 1

MEDLINE, TOXLINE, and commercial databases are examples of online databases.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The Freedom of Information Act exempts (does not allow) the release of personal medical data.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

A registry is a centralized database of information about a disease.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

The National Health Survey consists of several distinct programs conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics.

Question 5

Health insurance statistics provide a generally representative picture of the health status of the U.S. population.

Question 6

What is one of the widely used sources of statistical data on cancer?

A) Disease registries
B) Vital statistics
C) Special survey studies
D) Hospital clinic statistics

Question 7

What data source has the advantage of being almost complete in the United States?

A) Reportable disease statistics
B) Mortality statistics
C) Birth statistics
D) Mortality statistics and birth statistics

Question 8

The best routinely available sources of data regarding the incidence of respiratory disease outbreaks and other rapidly spreading conditions are:

A) death certificates.
B) reports of absenteeism from work and school.
C) case registries.
D) hospital records.

Question 9

Which of the following is not one of the four criteria for the quality of epidemiologic data?

A) The nature of the data
B) The completeness of the data
C) The reason the data are collected
D) The availability of the data

Question 10

Morbidity surveys of the general population:

A) include the Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
B) collect data on the health status of a population group.
C) typically use a scientifically designed representative sample.
D) All are correct.

Question 11

Which of the following data sources is most likely to provide a representative sample of the general health status of a population?

A) Hospital outpatient statistics
B) Absenteeism data
C) Data from public health clinics
D) A morbidity survey of the general population

Question 12

Which of the following statements about the U.S. Census is incorrect?

A) Administers a detailed questionnaire to a subset of the population
B) Attempts to account for every person in the country
C) Is called the decennial census and is administered every five years
D) Characterizes the population according to demographic variables

Question 13

Cautious use of information from death certificates is warranted because:

A) certificates are not available for everyone who dies.
B) certificates are often erroneous for date of death and sex.
C) cause of death information may not be correct.
D) autopsy results are not included.
E) All are correct.

Question 14

Information about the cause of death listed on a death certificate may be unreliable because:

A) the cause of death may be unclear.
B) certain diseases carry a stigma.
C) diagnostic criteria may lack standardization.
D) assignment of the cause of death may be arbitrary.
E) All are correct.

Question 15

An abrupt drop in mortality due to a specific disease from one year to the next is most likely due to:

A) incorrect listing of cause of death by the physician on the death certificate.
B) a coding mistake when using the International Classification of Disease (ICD) system.
C) a change in the International Classification of Disease (ICD) system.
D) fewer older persons dying from chronic diseases each year.

Question 16

The Vital Statistics Registration System in the United States collects data on all vital events including:

A) births.
B) deaths.
C) fetal deaths.
D) births and deaths.
E) births, deaths, and fetal deaths.

Question 17

Which of the following is not a clinical data source?

A) Hospital data
B) Diseases treated in special clinics
C) Immunization records of pupils in school
D) Data from physicians' records

Question 18

Before utilizing data for an epidemiologic study, the researcher must first consider the:

A) nature of the data.
B) availability of the data.
C) completeness of coverage.
D) All are correct.

Question 19

Which of the following is not included in data on morbidity in the U.S. armed forces?

A) The results of routine physical examinations
B) Useful population estimates of disease frequency
C) The results of selective service examinations
D) Information from military hospitalization records