CPH Sample Questions

The health department is committed to protecting and promoting the health of the country’s
residents. Which of the following components of a strategic plan does this statement represent?

Reduce the number of teenagers who begin to smoke. Which of the following components of a
strategic plan does this statement represent?

The new director of a county health department is getting acquainted with her staff. After several weeks of observing how her two associate directors supervise their subordinates, she notes striking differences in their management styles.
One associate director manages employees by assuming that they are highly motivated. He tells
members of his staff that they can time-shift their work hours to accommodate their family
schedules as long as they get their work done. This director’s approach to management
exemplifies which of the following leadership theories?

The new director of a county health department is getting acquainted with her staff. After several
weeks of observing how her two associate directors supervise their subordinates, she notes
striking differences in their management styles.
One associate director manages employees by assuming that they are highly motivated. He tells
members of his staff that they can time-shift their work hours to accommodate their family
schedules as long as they get their work done. This director’s approach to management
exemplifies which of the following leadership theories?

A community-based study of a program to increase physical activity is conducted, and the
findings are evaluated. A small p-value with an estimate is reported. Which of the following
is the best interpretation of this result?

A pilot study is conducted to examine whether a new drug effectively decreases cholesterol
levels over a 6-week period. Twelve participants are enrolled, and serum cholesterol levels are
measured before and after the 6-week treatment period. Investigators plan to use a paired t-test to examine whether the drug was effective in reducing cholesterol levels.

The paired t-test is more appropriate for analysis of the results than a two-sample t-test for
which of the following reasons?

A pilot study is conducted to examine whether a new drug effectively decreases cholesterol
levels over a 6-week period. Twelve participants are enrolled, and serum cholesterol levels are
measured before and after the 6-week treatment period. Investigators plan to use a paired t-test to examine whether the drug was effective in reducing cholesterol levels.

Which of the following are the degrees of freedom for this paired t-test?

A pilot study is conducted to examine whether a new drug effectively decreases cholesterol
levels over a 6-week period. Twelve participants are enrolled, and serum cholesterol levels are
measured before and after the 6-week treatment period. Investigators plan to use a paired t-test to examine whether the drug was effective in reducing cholesterol levels.

If the p-value were calculated to be 0.015, which of the following would be the most
appropriate interpretation of this p-value?

Which of the following statements best describes an intent-to-treat analysis?

A study is conducted to examine whether elderly women in at-home care settings maintain
more cognitive ability than women who are residents of skilled nursing care facilities. Two
groups of 30 elderly women were recruited independently: one group included women living
at home with a caregiver, and the second group included women living in skilled nursing care
facilities. The women were asked to perform a task and received scores on the execution of
the task (higher scores indicated higher cognitive functioning). Which of the following is the
most appropriate approach for analyzing these data?

A study is conducted to evaluate the relationship between pet ownership and having
depressive symptoms. Seventy participants are recruited. Each subject is identified as a
current pet owner or a non-pet owner. Participants are categorized as having or not having
symptoms of depression. Which of the following is the most appropriate method to evaluate
the association between pet ownership and having depressive symptoms in this population?

The epidemic of methyl mercury poisoning in Minamata, Japan, in the 1950s illustrated contamination of which of the following?

The Ministry of Health of a developing country is considering the nationwide implementation of a
test using biomarkers to screen for breast cancer. The test is delivered in health clinics in two
similar regions of the country, with the following results:
Region A Region B
Sensitivity 70% 80%
Specificity 85% 95%

The positive and negative predictive values are different between the two regions. Which of
the following is the most likely cause of the difference in the test’s predictive values between
the two regions?

A study investigated the effects of exposure to radioactive fallout from the Hanford Nuclear Site
in Washington State in the 1940s and 1950s and subsequent development of thyroid cancer
among persons exposed as children and adolescents. Scientists used birth data from the study
area to trace and contact subjects to participate in the study. Screening consisted of thyroid
palpation, ultrasonography of the thyroid gland, and measurement of thyroid hormone
concentrations in serum and urine. Individual thyroid radiation doses were estimated from
interview data concerning place of residence and dietary history. As a result of screening, 19
subjects were diagnosed with thyroid cancer.

Which of the following terms best describes this type of study design?

A study investigated the effects of exposure to radioactive fallout from the Hanford Nuclear Site
in Washington State in the 1940s and 1950s and subsequent development of thyroid cancer
among persons exposed as children and adolescents. Scientists used birth data from the study
area to trace and contact subjects to participate in the study. Screening consisted of thyroid
palpation, ultrasonography of the thyroid gland, and measurement of thyroid hormone
concentrations in serum and urine. Individual thyroid radiation doses were estimated from
interview data concerning place of residence and dietary history. As a result of screening, 19
subjects were diagnosed with thyroid cancer.

Which of the following is the most appropriate measure of effect for this type of study?

A study investigated the effects of exposure to radioactive fallout from the Hanford Nuclear Site
in Washington State in the 1940s and 1950s and subsequent development of thyroid cancer
among persons exposed as children and adolescents. Scientists used birth data from the study
area to trace and contact subjects to participate in the study. Screening consisted of thyroid
palpation, ultrasonography of the thyroid gland, and measurement of thyroid hormone
concentrations in serum and urine. Individual thyroid radiation doses were estimated from
interview data concerning place of residence and dietary history. As a result of screening, 19
subjects were diagnosed with thyroid cancer.

Which of the following terms is most appropriate to describe the cases of thyroid cancer
identified during the first screening in this study?

To specify individual susceptibilities, researchers have developed various biomarkers. Which of the following biomarkers could be ethically questionable.

A tobacco user has contemplated quitting smoking. He is aware that smoking is a problem for him and wants to quit in the future. If the tobacco user is moving along the Stages of Change, you can assume his next action will be:

A new screening test for Disease A was tested in 200 people. 40 out of 45 people with Disease A tested positive on the test. 145 out of 155 people without the disease tested negative. What is the positive predictive value of the new test?

According to the theory of reasoned action (TRA), the most important determinant of behavior is a person's:

Which of the following terms means that a tumor has spread to other locations within the body?

Studies A, B, C show similar results. One limitation of a meta-analysis of these three studies is the failure to:

The standard error (SE) of a sample statistic is:

Which of the following is true about the stage of change from the Transtheoretical model is true?

Which of the following are the three ethical principles outlined in the Belmont report?