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Preventive Medicine and Public Health Flashcards

7 cards from real COMAT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Preventive Medicine and Public Health flashcards as text

  1. According to the 2021 USPSTF update, at what age should average-risk individuals begin colorectal cancer screening?

    Answer: 45 years

    The USPSTF updated its 2021 recommendation to begin colorectal cancer screening at age 45 for average-risk adults, lowering it from the prior age of 50.

  2. Which herpes zoster vaccine is preferred for adults aged 50 and older due to its greater than 90% efficacy?

    Answer: Shingrix (recombinant subunit)

    Shingrix (recombinant zoster vaccine, RZV) is the preferred vaccine for herpes zoster prevention in adults ≥50 years, with >90% efficacy across age groups.

  3. In epidemiology, which measure quantifies the proportion of new disease cases arising in a susceptible population over a defined time period?

    Answer: Incidence rate

    Incidence rate measures the proportion of new cases developing in a population at risk during a specified time period, distinct from prevalence which includes existing cases.

  4. When disease prevalence in a population is very low (1%), a screening test with 90% sensitivity and 80% specificity will most likely produce which of the following?

    Answer: Many false positive results relative to true positives

    At very low disease prevalence, even a moderately specific test generates many false positives for each true positive, resulting in a low positive predictive value.

  5. Which level of prevention involves early detection and treatment of asymptomatic disease through screening programs?

    Answer: Secondary prevention

    Secondary prevention encompasses screening and early detection strategies aimed at identifying disease in asymptomatic individuals before symptoms develop.

  6. Which modifiable risk factor is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, responsible for approximately 480,000 deaths annually?

    Answer: Tobacco use

    Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the US, accounting for nearly 1 in 5 deaths annually through cancers, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory illness.

  7. According to the 2024 USPSTF recommendation, when should average-risk women begin biennial mammography screening for breast cancer?

    Answer: Age 40

    The 2024 USPSTF update recommends that average-risk women begin biennial mammography screening at age 40, earlier than the prior recommendation of 50.