MPH Social & Behavioral Health 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The Social Ecological Model in public health recognizes that health behaviors are influenced by:
- Individual biology alone
- Multiple levels including individual, interpersonal, community, and societal factors (Correct answer)
- Primarily socioeconomic status
- Genetic predisposition and access to care
Correct answer: Multiple levels including individual, interpersonal, community, and societal factors
The Social Ecological Model frames health as shaped by nested levels of influence — from individual behaviors to broader societal and policy environments.
Question 2: Which health behavior theory posits that individuals must believe they are susceptible to a disease and that action can reduce the threat?
- Social Cognitive Theory
- Theory of Planned Behavior
- Health Belief Model (Correct answer)
- Transtheoretical Model
Correct answer: Health Belief Model
The Health Belief Model holds that behavior change is driven by perceived susceptibility, severity, benefits, barriers, cues to action, and self-efficacy.
Question 3: 'Social determinants of health' (SDOH) are best described as:
- Genetic factors that determine individual health outcomes
- Conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, and age that affect health (Correct answer)
- Behavioral risk factors such as smoking and diet
- Medical comorbidities that complicate treatment
Correct answer: Conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, and age that affect health
SDOH are the nonmedical factors — like housing, income, education, and neighborhood — that fundamentally shape health outcomes and disparities.
Question 4: The 'stages of change' in the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) include all EXCEPT:
- Precontemplation
- Contemplation
- Deliberation (Correct answer)
- Maintenance
Correct answer: Deliberation
The TTM stages are Precontemplation, Contemplation, Preparation, Action, and Maintenance — 'Deliberation' is not a TTM stage.
Question 5: Community-based participatory research (CBPR) emphasizes:
- Researcher control over study design and implementation
- Equal partnership between researchers and community members in all phases of research (Correct answer)
- Community members recruiting participants without researcher involvement
- Rapid data collection with minimal community engagement
Correct answer: Equal partnership between researchers and community members in all phases of research
CBPR is built on co-learning and equitable partnership, where community members are actively involved from problem definition through dissemination.
Question 6: Which approach is an example of a 'downstream' health intervention?
- Passing smoke-free workplace legislation
- Providing treatment for a patient with lung cancer (Correct answer)
- Subsidizing healthy food in low-income neighborhoods
- Training community health workers to promote cancer screening
Correct answer: Providing treatment for a patient with lung cancer
Downstream interventions target individuals after disease has occurred, such as treating existing illness, rather than addressing upstream social or environmental causes.
MPH Social & Behavioral Health 1
The Social Ecological Model in public health recognizes that health behaviors are influenced by: