Covers incidence and prevalence, study design, confounding variables, treatment and management, public health prevention, and genetic screening or engineering.
This section tests how epidemiological evidence is collected and interpreted, how prevention strategies are evaluated, and how treatments and emerging genetic technologies are assessed in terms of effectiveness, ethics and access.
1. Incidence refers to:
2. A major limitation of observational epidemiological studies is that:
3. Which example is most clearly a prevention strategy rather than a treatment?
4. Which statement best evaluates genetic screening?
5. Which study design follows a population over time to compare disease development in exposed and unexposed groups?
6. Why is CRISPR-based gene editing not yet a widespread prevention method for non-infectious disease?
MC Answers: 1-B, 2-C, 3-A, 4-D, 5-B, 6-C
SA1: Epidemiological studies are valuable because they identify disease patterns, compare risk across groups, and help public health agencies target prevention and allocate resources. For example, they can show whether diabetes prevalence is rising in certain age groups or locations. Even if they cannot always prove direct causation, they still provide strong evidence for trend monitoring and policy decisions.
SA2: One prevention strategy is SunSmart for skin cancer prevention. It is effective because it targets UV exposure before DNA damage accumulates and can reduce population risk through broad behaviour change. However, success depends on public compliance, access to shade and sunscreen, and long-term education. Overall, it is a strong prevention strategy because it addresses a major modifiable risk factor early, even though it cannot eliminate all skin cancer cases.
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