INI CET Social and Preventive Medicine Syllabus

Social and Preventive Medicine syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Social and Preventive Medicine in INI CET, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Introduction to Social and Preventive Medicine (SPM)

   3 topics

   • Definition, scope, and importance of SPM in public health
   • Historical perspective of public health and evolution of preventive medicine
   • Principles of primary health care and the role of SPM in disease prevention and health promotion
2. 2

   Epidemiology

   4 topics

   • Basic concepts in epidemiology
     • Disease frequency
     • Measures of disease occurrence
     • Measures of association
   • Types of epidemiological studies
     • Descriptive studies
     • Analytical studies (case-control, cohort, and cross-sectional studies)
     • Experimental studies
   • Measures of disease spread and outbreak investigation
     • Incidence
     • Prevalence
     • Attack rate
     • Epidemic curve
     • Steps in outbreak investigation
   • Screening and diagnostic tests
     • Sensitivity
     • Specificity
     • Predictive values
     • Likelihood ratios
3. 3

   Biostatistics

   4 topics

   • Introduction to biostatistics
     • Descriptive statistics
     • Measures of central tendency
     • Dispersion
     • Normal distribution
   • Probability and sampling
     • Probability distributions
     • Sampling techniques
     • Sampling error
   • Inferential statistics
     • Hypothesis testing
     • Confidence intervals
     • t-tests
     • chi-square tests
     • Regression analysis
   • Epidemiological software and data analysis
     • Use of software packages for data management
     • Analysis
     • Presentation
4. 4

   Health Information Systems

   3 topics

   • Health information management
     • Electronic health records (EHR)
     • Health information exchange (HIE)
     • Health data standards
   • Disease surveillance systems
     • National and international surveillance systems for monitoring disease trends, outbreaks, and epidemics
   • Health indicators and health status assessment
     • Measurement of population health indicators
     • Morbidity and mortality rates
     • Health-related quality of life
5. 5

   Health Promotion and Education

   4 topics

   • Health behavior theories
     • Health belief model
     • Social cognitive theory
     • Stages of change model
   • Health promotion strategies
     • Community-based interventions
     • Social marketing
     • Health education campaigns
     • Behavior change communication
   • Health education methods
     • Individual counseling
     • Group education
     • Community mobilization
     • Mass media campaigns
   • Community participation and empowerment
     • Community organizing
     • Participatory approaches
     • Empowerment strategies for health promotion
6. 6

   Environmental Health

   4 topics

   • Environmental health hazards
     • Air pollution
     • Water pollution
     • Soil contamination
     • Occupational hazards
   • Environmental epidemiology
     • Investigation of environmental exposures and health outcomes
     • Environmental risk assessment
     • Environmental justice
   • Environmental health regulations and policies
     • Legislation
     • Standards
     • Regulatory agencies for environmental protection
   • Climate change and health
     • Impact of climate change on health
     • Adaptation strategies
     • Mitigation measures
7. 7

   Nutrition and Public Health

   4 topics

   • Nutritional epidemiology
     • Assessment of dietary intake
     • Assessment of nutritional status
     • Nutritional determinants of health
   • Malnutrition and Nutritional Deficiencies
     • Types of malnutrition
     • Micronutrient deficiencies
     • Nutritional interventions
   • Public Health Nutrition Programs
     • Food fortification
     • Supplementation
     • Nutrition education
     • School feeding programs
   • Obesity and Chronic Diseases
     • Epidemiology of obesity
     • Diet-related chronic diseases
     • Obesity prevention strategies
8. 8

   Maternal and Child Health

   4 topics

   • Maternal and child health indicators
     • Maternal mortality rate
     • Infant mortality rate
     • Under-five mortality rate
     • Neonatal mortality rate
   • Antenatal care and safe motherhood
     • Maternal health services
     • Prenatal screening
     • Prevention of maternal and neonatal complications
   • Child health services
     • Immunization programs
     • Growth monitoring
     • Nutritional supplementation
     • Child development services
   • Adolescent health
     • Adolescent-friendly health services
     • Reproductive health education
     • Prevention of adolescent risk behaviors
9. 9

   Occupational Health

   4 topics

   • Occupational health hazards
     • Physical hazards in the workplace
     • Chemical hazards in the workplace
     • Biological hazards in the workplace
     • Psychosocial hazards in the workplace
   • Occupational diseases
     • Types of occupational diseases
     • Surveillance of occupational diseases
     • Prevention measures for occupational diseases
   • Occupational safety and health regulations
     • Occupational safety standards
     • Workplace safety programs
     • Occupational health and safety management systems
   • Ergonomics and workplace wellness
     • Design of ergonomic workspaces
     • Prevention of musculoskeletal disorders
     • Promotion of employee health and well-being
10. 10

    Health Policy and Management

    4 topics

    • Health policy development
      • Policy formulation
      • Policy implementation
      • Policy evaluation in public health
    • Health systems and services
      • Structure of health systems
      • Organization of health services
      • Delivery of health services at national, regional, and local levels
    • Health financing and health insurance
      • Models of health financing
      • Health insurance schemes
      • Health expenditure analysis
    • Health governance and leadership
      • Role of governments in health governance
      • Role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in health governance
      • Role of international agencies in health leadership

Social and Preventive Medicine flashcards for INI CET

18 of 51 cards from the Social and Preventive Medicine deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. Define Social and Preventive Medicine (SPM).

   SPM is the branch of medicine dealing with prevention of disease, promotion of health, and prolongation of life through organized community efforts, integrating social, behavioral, and biological determinants of health.

2. What are the four levels of prevention in public health?

   Primordial prevention (preventing emergence of risk factors), primary prevention (preventing disease onset), secondary prevention (early detection/treatment), and tertiary prevention (limiting disability and rehabilitation).

3. Who is regarded as the 'Father of Modern Epidemiology' and for what landmark work?

   John Snow, for tracing the 1854 Broad Street cholera outbreak in London to a contaminated water pump, demonstrating waterborne transmission before the germ theory.

4. What are the elements of primary health care as defined by the 1978 Alma-Ata Declaration?

   The 8 elements (ELEMENTS): Education on health problems, Local disease control, Expanded immunization, Maternal & child health/family planning, Essential drugs, Nutrition, Treatment of common diseases/injuries, Safe water & sanitation.

5. State the four principles (pillars) of primary health care.

   Equitable distribution, community participation, intersectoral coordination, and appropriate technology.

6. Define epidemiology.

   The study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events in specified populations, and the application of this study to the control of health problems.

7. What is the epidemiological triad?

   The interaction of three factors causing disease: Agent (causative factor), Host (susceptible individual), and Environment (external conditions enabling agent-host interaction).

8. Differentiate incidence from prevalence.

   Incidence = number of NEW cases occurring in a population over a period (measures risk). Prevalence = total existing cases (old + new) at a point/period (measures burden). Prevalence ≈ Incidence × Duration.

9. Give the formula for incidence rate.

   Incidence rate = (Number of new cases of a disease during a specified period / Population at risk during that period) × 1000.

10. List the main types of observational epidemiological studies.

    Descriptive studies (case reports, case series, ecological, cross-sectional) and analytical studies (case-control and cohort).

11. Compare cohort and case-control studies in direction of inquiry.

    Cohort studies proceed from exposure to outcome (forward, prospective); case-control studies proceed from outcome to exposure (backward, retrospective).

12. Which measure of association is calculated in a case-control study and why?

    The odds ratio (OR), because incidence cannot be directly measured; OR estimates relative risk when the disease is rare.

13. Give the formula for relative risk (RR).

    RR = Incidence in exposed / Incidence in unexposed = [a/(a+b)] / [c/(c+d)]. RR=1 no association, >1 increased risk, <1 protective.

14. Give the formula for the odds ratio (OR) using a 2×2 table.

    OR = (a×d) / (b×c), where a=exposed cases, b=exposed controls, c=unexposed cases, d=unexposed controls.

15. What is attributable risk (AR)?

    AR = Incidence in exposed − Incidence in unexposed. It indicates the amount of disease incidence attributable to the exposure (the excess risk).

16. Define an epidemic, endemic, and pandemic.

    Endemic = constant/usual presence of disease in a population/area. Epidemic = occurrence clearly in excess of normal expectancy. Pandemic = epidemic spreading over several countries/continents affecting large numbers.

17. List the key steps of an outbreak investigation.

    Verify diagnosis, confirm existence of an outbreak, define a case & count cases, describe by time/place/person, formulate & test hypotheses, institute control measures, and report findings.

18. Distinguish point-source from propagated epidemic curves.

    Point-source: single sharp peak, cases within one incubation period. Propagated (progressive): series of successively taller peaks one incubation period apart, indicating person-to-person spread.

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