Public Health Planning, Policy, and Evaluation Practice Questions

33 multiple-choice questions on Planning, policy, and evaluation for paramedic and EMT students, from Chapter 3 (Public Health). Read each question, pick your answer, then tap Show answer to check it and read the explanation.

33 practice questions

1. An EMS chief wants to launch a 'distracted driving' program because a national report called it a growing problem. What should be done first?

   1. A. Buy billboard space for a public campaign right away
   2. B. Partner with a school and schedule assemblies this month
   3. C. Review local crash and EMS data to confirm a local problem
   4. D. Ask the city council to pass a cell phone ordinance now
   Show answer

   Answer: C. Review local crash and EMS data to confirm a local problem

   Program planning starts with a needs assessment using local data. The local problem may be different, such as older-adult falls or pedestrian injuries, and data also defines the target group and gives a baseline for evaluation. Campaigns, assemblies, and ordinances are interventions. Choosing one before confirming the problem risks spending resources on the wrong target.

2. A coalition of community partners is valuable because it:

   1. A. It adds resources, credibility, and reach
   2. B. It simplifies the agency approval process
   3. C. It reduces the need to collect local data
   4. D. It eliminates the need for outside funding
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   Answer: A. It adds resources, credibility, and reach

   Schools, health departments, hospitals, and police all bring something. No one agency has all of these alone.

3. Setting a measurable objective means stating:

   1. A. That the program will improve community safety
   2. B. Who will change what, by how much, by when
   3. C. A broad goal the program hopes to reach
   4. D. The budget needed to run the program
   Show answer

   Answer: B. Who will change what, by how much, by when

   Measurable objectives are what make evaluation possible.

4. Funding for prevention programs commonly comes from:

   1. A. Grants, foundations, government, and partners
   2. B. Transport billing that pays for prevention visits
   3. C. Medicare payments for prevention visits
   4. D. Federal mandates that fund all EMS programs
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   Answer: A. Grants, foundations, government, and partners

   Many grants require an evaluation plan up front. Transport billing and Medicare do not generally pay EMS for prevention work.

5. Process evaluation measures:

   1. A. Whether the program was delivered as planned
   2. B. Long-term health outcomes among all participants
   3. C. Whether the community injury rate actually changed
   4. D. Cost per life saved by the overall intervention
   Show answer

   Answer: A. Whether the program was delivered as planned

   Outcome evaluation measures the health change itself. Examples are classes held and seats installed.

6. Outcome evaluation measures:

   1. A. Attendance at program classes and events
   2. B. Changes in the targeted health problem
   3. C. Media coverage the program received
   4. D. Volunteer hours contributed to the program
   Show answer

   Answer: B. Changes in the targeted health problem

   Both process and outcome measures are needed to interpret results.

7. Advocacy by EMS providers can include:

   1. A. Discussing legislation with patients during care
   2. B. Staying out of the political process entirely
   3. C. Endorsing political candidates while on duty in uniform
   4. D. Sharing field data and experience with policymakers
   Show answer

   Answer: D. Sharing field data and experience with policymakers

   Firsthand experience carries weight in policy discussions. This matters most when safety legislation is being considered. Political endorsements on duty or in uniform are generally barred by agency policy.

8. A car-seat check program held 40 events, but correct car-seat use in the county has not changed in two years. The process evaluation shows most events were held in neighborhoods with already-high correct use. What is the best next step?

   1. A. Hold twice as many events at the same locations
   2. B. Stop evaluating, since attendance has been high
   3. C. Retarget events to neighborhoods with the lowest correct use
   4. D. Declare success based on the number of events held
   Show answer

   Answer: C. Retarget events to neighborhoods with the lowest correct use

   The process evaluation shows why the outcome did not change: the program reached the wrong people. Moving it to where need is highest is the fix. More of the same will not change the outcome. Attendance and event counts are outputs, not proof of effect, and stopping evaluation hides the problem.

9. A logic model is used to:

   1. A. Map inputs, activities, outputs, and outcomes
   2. B. Calculate statistical significance of results
   3. C. Draft legislation for public health policy
   4. D. Measure the program's total operating cost
   Show answer

   Answer: A. Map inputs, activities, outputs, and outcomes

   It clarifies how activities should lead to results.

10. Program inputs include:

    1. A. Behavior changes among participants
    2. B. Classes taught and seats installed
    3. C. Staff, funding, equipment, and partners
    4. D. Results such as reduced injury rates
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    Answer: C. Staff, funding, equipment, and partners

    They are the resources invested.

11. Program outputs are:

    1. A. Direct products, such as classes held
    2. B. The goals the program ultimately hopes to reach
    3. C. Changes in the community's health status
    4. D. Resources such as staff time and funding
    Show answer

    Answer: A. Direct products, such as classes held

    They are counted, not measured for effect. Seats installed are another output.

12. Program outcomes are:

    1. A. Resources invested, such as funding
    2. B. Activities the program staff carry out
    3. C. Staff assigned to deliver the program
    4. D. Changes in behavior or health status
    Show answer

    Answer: D. Changes in behavior or health status

    Short, medium, and long-term outcomes may be defined. Changes in knowledge also count.

13. A SMART objective is:

    1. A. Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound
    2. B. Simple, manageable, approved, realistic, and tested
    3. C. Standardized, mandated, audited, reported, timed
    4. D. Strategic, motivating, ambitious, reviewed, tracked
    Show answer

    Answer: A. Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound

    Vague goals cannot be evaluated.

14. Which is a SMART objective?

    1. A. Reduce injuries to children in motor vehicle crashes
    2. B. Educate as many parents as possible about car seats
    3. C. Raise correct car seat use from 40% to 70% in 12 months
    4. D. Improve child passenger safety across the county
    Show answer

    Answer: C. Raise correct car seat use from 40% to 70% in 12 months

    It names who, what, how much, and when. The full objective names the participants as the population.

15. Stakeholders in a prevention program include:

    1. A. Only the government agencies that approve it
    2. B. Only the staff who deliver the program
    3. C. Anyone affected by or involved in the program
    4. D. Only the funders who pay for the program
    Show answer

    Answer: C. Anyone affected by or involved in the program

    Community voice improves design. This includes the community served.

16. Community engagement improves programs by:

    1. A. Replacing the need for formal data collection
    2. B. Speeding approval by government agencies
    3. C. Ensuring relevance, trust, and sustainability
    4. D. Reducing program costs through volunteers
    Show answer

    Answer: C. Ensuring relevance, trust, and sustainability

    Programs imposed from outside often fail.

17. A pilot program is used to:

    1. A. Delay action until more funding arrives
    2. B. Satisfy funders before work begins
    3. C. Test a program on a small scale first
    4. D. Replace the need for formal evaluation
    Show answer

    Answer: C. Test a program on a small scale first

    It reveals problems cheaply. Testing comes before full implementation.

18. Formative evaluation occurs:

    1. A. Only at the end of the grant period
    2. B. During development, to refine it
    3. C. Never, if outcome data are collected
    4. D. After the program, to judge its effect
    Show answer

    Answer: B. During development, to refine it

    It shapes the program. It continues into early implementation.

19. Summative evaluation occurs:

    1. A. Before funding, to justify the request
    2. B. At the end, to judge overall effectiveness
    3. C. During planning, to shape the design
    4. D. Informally, throughout the program
    Show answer

    Answer: B. At the end, to judge overall effectiveness

    It answers whether the program worked.

20. Impact evaluation measures:

    1. A. Immediate effects such as behavior change
    2. B. Activities completed by program staff
    3. C. Long-term changes in community health status
    4. D. Program costs per participant served
    Show answer

    Answer: A. Immediate effects such as behavior change

    Outcome evaluation covers longer-term health effects. Knowledge change is also an impact.

21. Cost-effectiveness analysis compares:

    1. A. Total cost alone, regardless of any results
    2. B. Programs ranked by public popularity
    3. C. Staff hours spent on each activity
    4. D. Cost against health outcomes achieved
    Show answer

    Answer: D. Cost against health outcomes achieved

    It helps allocate limited resources.

22. A common evaluation challenge is:

    1. A. Legal barriers to collecting any data
    2. B. Having too much data to analyze well
    3. C. Lack of interest from program partners
    4. D. Attributing change to the program
    Show answer

    Answer: D. Attributing change to the program

    Comparison groups help. Other factors may cause the observed changes.

23. Sustainability planning addresses:

    1. A. Which evaluation methods will be used
    2. B. How the program will launch successfully
    3. C. Staffing levels during the first year
    4. D. Continuing after initial funding ends
    Show answer

    Answer: D. Continuing after initial funding ends

    Many programs end when grants end.

24. Policy advocacy by EMS providers is most effective when it:

    1. A. Is submitted anonymously to avoid bias
    2. B. Combines data with field experience
    3. C. Relies on emotional stories alone
    4. D. Avoids data to keep the message simple
    Show answer

    Answer: B. Combines data with field experience

    Legislators respond to both.

25. Evidence-based policy means:

    1. A. Policy grounded in research on what works
    2. B. Policy that follows long-standing tradition
    3. C. Policy chosen mainly by lowest cost
    4. D. Policy shaped by expert opinion alone
    Show answer

    Answer: A. Policy grounded in research on what works

    Seat belt laws are evidence-based.

26. Health impact assessment evaluates:

    1. A. Only hospital quality and patient safety
    2. B. Health effects of policies outside the health sector
    3. C. Only the financial costs of a project
    4. D. Only programs run by local health departments
    Show answer

    Answer: B. Health effects of policies outside the health sector

    Health in all policies is the principle. Transportation projects are a common example.

27. Ethical considerations in public health programs include:

    1. A. Individual rights versus community benefit
    2. B. Informed consent as the only consideration
    3. C. None, since public health aims to help everyone
    4. D. Cost as the main ethical consideration
    Show answer

    Answer: A. Individual rights versus community benefit

    Mandates raise these questions. Equity and informed participation also matter.

28. Which best describes the policy cycle?

    1. A. Enforcement of laws already on the books
    2. B. Drafting, voting, and signing a bill into law
    3. C. A single legislative step with no follow-up
    4. D. Identify, formulate, adopt, implement, and evaluate
    Show answer

    Answer: D. Identify, formulate, adopt, implement, and evaluate

    Evaluation feeds back into identification.

29. Grant funding typically requires:

    1. A. Only a budget showing planned program spending
    2. B. Nothing beyond a signed and dated funding agreement
    3. C. Only a completed application form submitted on time
    4. D. A plan, measurable objectives, and evaluation
    Show answer

    Answer: D. A plan, measurable objectives, and evaluation

    Reporting obligations continue through the grant.

30. Data sharing agreements between EMS and partners address:

    1. A. Only the cost of transferring the records
    2. B. Privacy, security, permitted use, and ownership
    3. C. Only the timing and frequency of submissions
    4. D. Nothing beyond basic contact information
    Show answer

    Answer: B. Privacy, security, permitted use, and ownership

    HIPAA compliance is central.

31. A needs assessment should be repeated:

    1. A. Never, once the program is running
    2. B. Only when program funding changes
    3. C. Only after a disaster or other major event
    4. D. Periodically, since conditions change
    Show answer

    Answer: D. Periodically, since conditions change

    Data ages.

32. Which is a sign of a well-designed prevention program?

    1. A. A large budget with dedicated full-time staff
    2. B. A large number of community partners
    3. C. Extensive media coverage at the program launch
    4. D. Clear objectives and an evaluation plan
    Show answer

    Answer: D. Clear objectives and an evaluation plan

    Design determines effectiveness. A defined target population and evidence-based strategies are also signs.

33. The final step in any public health program should be:

    1. A. Applying for renewal of grant funding
    2. B. Evaluation and sharing of results
    3. C. Formal closure of the program office
    4. D. Expanding the program to new areas
    Show answer

    Answer: B. Evaluation and sharing of results

    Negative results teach as well. Sharing results lets others learn. Expansion should follow evaluation, not replace it.