NHPC MPH Epidemiology License Examination Model Questions

Section 1: Basic Epidemiological Concepts

1. Which of the following is NOT an essential component of epidemiology?
   a) Distribution
   b) Causation
   c) Prevention
   d) Treatment
2. Incidence rate is best defined as:
   a) The total number of new cases in a population at risk over a specific time period
   b) The total number of existing cases in a population
   c) The ratio of diseased to non-diseased individuals
   d) The probability of survival after diagnosis
3. Prevalence is:
   a) A measure of new cases in a population
   b) A measure of both old and new cases in a population
   c) The mortality rate of a disease
   d) A measure of deaths per population
4. The epidemiological triad consists of:
   a) Host, agent, environment
   b) Incidence, prevalence, mortality
   c) Disease, risk factor, prevention
   d) Primary, secondary, tertiary prevention
5. Which of the following is an example of secondary prevention?
   a) Vaccination
   b) Cancer screening
   c) Chemotherapy
   d) Health education

Section 2: Study Designs

6. Which of the following study designs is best for determining causality?
   a) Cross-sectional study
   b) Case-control study
   c) Randomized controlled trial
   d) Ecological study
7. A cohort study is characterized by:
   a) Following participants over time based on exposure status
   b) Comparing diseased and non-diseased groups retrospectively
   c) Studying groups at a single point in time
   d) Randomly assigning participants to treatment groups
8. Which study design is most suitable for rare diseases?
   a) Cohort study
   b) Case-control study
   c) Cross-sectional study
   d) Experimental study
9. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a case-control study?
   a) It is retrospective
   b) It is cost-effective
   c) It provides incidence data
   d) It is useful for rare diseases
10. The major disadvantage of an ecological study is:
    a) High cost
    b) Time-consuming nature
    c) Ecological fallacy
    d) Ethical concerns

Section 3: Measures of Association and Risk

11. Relative risk is used in which type of study?
    a) Cohort study
    b) Case-control study
    c) Cross-sectional study
    d) Ecological study
12. Odds ratio is commonly used in:
    a) Cohort studies
    b) Cross-sectional studies
    c) Case-control studies
    d) Randomized trials
13. Attributable risk measures:
    a) The proportion of disease due to an exposure
    b) The rate of disease in the population
    c) The survival rate of affected individuals
    d) The error in study findings
14. If the relative risk (RR) is 1.5, it means:
    a) No association between exposure and disease
    b) Exposure increases disease risk by 50%
    c) Exposure decreases disease risk
    d) The disease is independent of exposure
15. A confidence interval that includes 1 means:
    a) The association is statistically significant
    b) The association is not statistically significant
    c) There is a strong association
    d) The study is biased

Section 4: Bias and Confounding

16. Which of the following is a type of selection bias?
    a) Recall bias
    b) Loss to follow-up
    c) Observer bias
    d) Measurement bias
17. Confounding occurs when:
    a) A third variable distorts the association between exposure and disease
    b) The sample size is too small
    c) The measurement tools are unreliable
    d) There is selection bias
18. Randomization in clinical trials helps to:
    a) Ensure treatment is effective
    b) Control for confounding variables
    c) Increase bias
    d) Lower cost
19. Blinding is used to reduce:
    a) Selection bias
    b) Observer bias
    c) Confounding
    d) Incidence rate
20. Which of the following can reduce recall bias?
    a) Increasing sample size
    b) Using objective measurements
    c) Increasing follow-up time
    d) Randomly assigning exposure groups

Section 5: Public Health Applications

21. The first step in an outbreak investigation is:
    a) Identify the source
    b) Confirm the existence of an outbreak
    c) Implement control measures
    d) Publish findings
22. Which measure is commonly used in surveillance?
    a) Incidence rate
    b) Attributable risk
    c) Case-fatality rate
    d) Sensitivity
23. The best source of national mortality data is:
    a) Census
    b) Hospital records
    c) Vital registration system
    d) Surveillance reports
24. The sensitivity of a test measures:
    a) The ability to correctly detect disease
    b) The ability to detect non-disease cases
    c) The proportion of false positives
    d) The rate of disease spread
25. Quarantine is an example of:
    a) Primary prevention
    b) Secondary prevention
    c) Tertiary prevention
    d) None of the above

Answer Key

1. c
2. a
3. b
4. a
5. b
6. c
7. a
8. b
9. c
10. c
11. a
12. c
13. a
14. b
15. b
16. b
17. a
18. b
19. b
20. b
21. b
22. a
23. c
24. a
25. b