Epidemiologists often report the prevalence of a medical or psychological disorder.What is "prevalence"?
A) the number of people in a population with a given disorder
B) the percentage of people in a population with a given disorder
C) the number of new cases of a disorder in a population
D) the percentage of new cases of a disorder in a population

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Prevalence refers to the proportion of people in a population who have a specific medical or psychological disorder at a given point in time. It is typically reported as a percentage because it represents the number of individuals with the disorder out of the total population. Option A refers to the absolute number of people with the disorder, which may be less informative without considering the population size. Option C refers to incidence, which refers to the number of new cases of a disorder in a population over a given period. Option D combines incidence and prevalence, which can be confusing and misleading.

Epidemiologists Often Report the Prevalence of a Medical or Psychological