Epidemiological Concepts
What is point prevalence?
The proportion of people that have the disease at a specific moment
Why are most babies with down syndrome born to younger mothers rather than to older mothers?
Higher fertility rate in younger women
What is the key principle that injury is based on in public health?
Injury is preventable, not random.
What is incidence?
New cases occurring over a time period
What is cultural sensitivity?
Being respectful and non-judgmental about differences cultures
What is relative risk?
The ratio of the risk of disease in the exposed group to the risk in the unexposed group.
What diagnostic technique can detect Down syndrome early in pregnancy by analysing fetal DNA from maternal blood?
Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT)
What are the three components of the epidemiological triangle?
Host, agent, and environment
What does DALY stand for?
Disability Adjusted Life Years
What does SEWB stand for?
Social and Emotional Wellbeing.
What factors influence prevalence of a disease in a population (Name 3)?
How frequently new cases arise
How long people remain diseased
How quickly people recover or die
What is the prevalence of down syndrome in pregnancies in Australia?
1 in 700 approximately
What is secondary prevention in injury control (give an example)?
Reducing severity after the injury event has occurred e.g. airbags, seat belts
What are the main transmission pathways of Hepatitis A-C?
A - faecal oral
B - blood / body fluids (sexual contact)
C - blood (parenteral)
How does kinship affect healthcare decision-making?
Health decisions are often collective, involving family and community elders rather than being purely individual choices.
If a highly fatal disease becomes treatable but not curable, how would prevalence and incidence change?
Incidence stays the same, prevalence increases (reduced mortality thus longer survival, accumulation of cases over time)
What are the approximate proportions of the three main types of Down syndrome?
trisomy 21 (~95%)
translocation Down syndrome (~3–4%)
mosaic Down syndrome (~1–2%)
What are effective intervention strategies to prevent motor vehicle crashes (Name 5)?
Legislation: drink–driving laws, speed limits, seat belt laws
Engineering: vehicle safety features, road markings
Education: public campaigns
Health System Interventions e.g. trauma system preparedness
Name the elements of the chain of infection?
Reservoir, Agent, Portal of Exit, Mode of Transmission, Portal of Entry, Susceptible Host
What would a culturally safe health system require?
Shared decision-making with Indigenous communities, self-determined services, anti-racist institutional reform, and integration of Indigenous definitions of health.
Explain the differences between endemic, epidemic and pandemic (Give an example of each)?
Endemic: A disease that is constantly present at a baseline level in a population (e.g. malaria, chicken pox, common cold)
Epidemic: A sudden increase in disease cases above the expected level in a population (e.g. ebola, zika virus)
Pandemic: An epidemic that spreads across multiple countries or continents. (e.g. COVID)
What are the personal effects of Down syndrome on an individual (Have to name 5)?
Intellectual disability
Developmental delays
Higher possibility of congenital conditions
Lifelong need for support
Inclusion challenges in schools, workplaces and communities
There are 3 phases for Haddon’s Matrix (pre-event, event and post-event), but what are the 4 factors considered across these phases?
Host, Agent/Vehicle, Physical Environment, Social Environment
Name a primary, secondary and tertiary prevention method for Hepatitis C?
Primary: Needle/syringe programs; blood/product testing; safe injection practices; education
Secondary: Screening high-risk populations; early treatment with DAAs
Tertiary: DAA therapy; management of advanced liver disease
What are the three key events in modern Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander political and health history that relate to recognition, healing, and self-determination?
1967 referendum
National Apology (2008)
Uluru statement from the Heart (2017)
Closing the Gap (2007)