Introduction: Understanding the social causes of diseases and problems of the sick is essential for B.Pharm students preparing for clinical practice and public health roles. Social determinants of health—such as socioeconomic status, education, sanitation, overcrowding, nutrition, occupational hazards, cultural beliefs, access to healthcare and social stigma—shape patterns of communicable and non-communicable diseases. Recognizing how poverty, migration, urbanization, health literacy, and policy barriers influence disease spread, treatment adherence, and medication access helps pharmacists design effective interventions and patient counseling. This topic links pharmacology, epidemiology and public health to improve patient outcomes and equity. Now let’s test your knowledge with 30 MCQs on this topic.
Q1. Which term best describes non-medical factors like income, education and housing that influence health outcomes?
- Biological determinants
- Social determinants of health
- Genetic predispositions
- Clinical risk factors
Correct Answer: Social determinants of health
Q2. Which social factor most directly contributes to increased risk of infectious disease transmission in urban slums?
- High health literacy
- Overcrowding and poor sanitation
- Higher vaccination rates
- Access to specialty care
Correct Answer: Overcrowding and poor sanitation
Q3. How does low health literacy affect medication use among patients?
- Improves adherence to complex regimens
- Has no impact on treatment outcomes
- Leads to misunderstanding dosing and poor adherence
- Automatically increases healthcare access
Correct Answer: Leads to misunderstanding dosing and poor adherence
Q4. Which social determinant is most associated with higher prevalence of non-communicable diseases like diabetes and hypertension?
- High socioeconomic status
- Poor diet and sedentary lifestyle linked to low socioeconomic status
- Excessive access to preventive care
- High levels of formal education
Correct Answer: Poor diet and sedentary lifestyle linked to low socioeconomic status
Q5. What role does social stigma play in health-seeking behavior for infectious diseases like tuberculosis?
- Encourages immediate presentation to care
- Reduces delays in diagnosis
- Discourages seeking care and promotes concealment
- Improves treatment adherence
Correct Answer: Discourages seeking care and promotes concealment
Q6. Which occupational exposure most commonly leads to chronic respiratory disease in low-income workers?
- Prolonged computer use
- Inhalation of dusts and fumes in poorly ventilated settings
- Noise exposure in offices
- Frequent handwashing
Correct Answer: Inhalation of dusts and fumes in poorly ventilated settings
Q7. Which barrier most directly limits access to essential medicines in rural communities?
- Excess pharmacy density
- Long travel distance and lack of transport
- Overabundance of specialists
- High health literacy
Correct Answer: Long travel distance and lack of transport
Q8. How can gender inequality influence health outcomes for women?
- Ensures greater autonomy over healthcare decisions
- Leads to delayed care, lower nutrition and reduced access to services
- Eliminates barriers to education
- Improves vaccination rates uniformly
Correct Answer: Leads to delayed care, lower nutrition and reduced access to services
Q9. Which social factor increases risk of malnutrition in children?
- High household income
- Poor maternal education and food insecurity
- Universal health coverage
- Frequent growth monitoring
Correct Answer: Poor maternal education and food insecurity
Q10. Which policy intervention directly addresses social causes of disease by improving living conditions?
- Clinical trials for new drugs
- Housing improvement and sanitation programs
- Individualized genetic testing
- Exclusive tertiary care expansion
Correct Answer: Housing improvement and sanitation programs
Q11. Why does migration often increase vulnerability to diseases among migrants?
- Migrants always receive better healthcare
- Disrupted social networks, poor access to services and legal barriers
- Migrants have superior living conditions
- Migration decreases exposure to infectious agents
Correct Answer: Disrupted social networks, poor access to services and legal barriers
Q12. In the context of medication adherence, what is the effect of high out-of-pocket costs?
- Improves long-term adherence
- Leads to dose skipping, non-adherence and worse outcomes
- Has no effect on adherence
- Encourages patients to buy more medications
Correct Answer: Leads to dose skipping, non-adherence and worse outcomes
Q13. Which cultural belief may reduce uptake of preventive services like vaccinations?
- Trust in scientifically validated vaccines
- Suspicion of vaccine safety due to misinformation
- High confidence in public health systems
- Strong community endorsement of immunization
Correct Answer: Suspicion of vaccine safety due to misinformation
Q14. How does urbanization change the pattern of disease burden?
- Reduces chronic disease prevalence
- Increases risk of both infectious outbreaks from crowding and NCDs from lifestyle changes
- Eliminates environmental exposures
- Guarantees equitable healthcare access
Correct Answer: Increases risk of both infectious outbreaks from crowding and NCDs from lifestyle changes
Q15. Which social intervention can improve medication adherence among low-literacy patients?
- Using complex medical jargon in instructions
- Providing pictorial labels, counseling and simplified regimens
- Reducing pharmacy hours
- Increasing drug prices
Correct Answer: Providing pictorial labels, counseling and simplified regimens
Q16. What is the main way poverty contributes to poor health outcomes?
- By increasing access to preventive care
- By limiting resources for nutrition, housing, healthcare and education
- By guaranteeing high-quality sanitation
- By improving occupational safety
Correct Answer: By limiting resources for nutrition, housing, healthcare and education
Q17. How does social isolation affect recovery from illness?
- Enhances recovery through solitary rest only
- Increases morbidity by reducing social support and follow-up
- Has no impact on recovery
- Directly cures chronic conditions
Correct Answer: Increases morbidity by reducing social support and follow-up
Q18. Which of the following is an example of an upstream public health approach to reduce disease inequalities?
- Individual patient counseling only
- Policies to reduce income inequality and improve education
- Prescribing more medications without addressing causes
- Expanding tertiary hospitals alone
Correct Answer: Policies to reduce income inequality and improve education
Q19. What social factor is most likely to cause delays in diagnosis of mental illness?
- High mental health literacy
- Stigma and cultural beliefs discouraging help-seeking
- Universal mental health screening availability
- Strong family support
Correct Answer: Stigma and cultural beliefs discouraging help-seeking
Q20. Which community-level determinant can reduce spread of waterborne disease?
- Lack of clean water and sanitation
- Improved water supply and sewage treatment
- Poor waste disposal
- Overcrowded housing
Correct Answer: Improved water supply and sewage treatment
Q21. How does informal employment affect occupational health risks?
- Provides full social protections
- Often lacks safety standards, increasing exposure and poor treatment access
- Guarantees health insurance
- Reduces exposure to hazardous work
Correct Answer: Often lacks safety standards, increasing exposure and poor treatment access
Q22. Which factor most undermines continuity of care for chronic disease patients?
- Stable residence and continuous insurance
- Frequent migration and unstable healthcare access
- Regular primary care visits
- Integrated electronic health records
Correct Answer: Frequent migration and unstable healthcare access
Q23. What is the impact of social marketing and education on public health problems?
- Has no measurable impact
- Can reduce risky behaviors and improve uptake of preventive measures
- Only increases stigma
- Always replaces clinical care
Correct Answer: Can reduce risky behaviors and improve uptake of preventive measures
Q24. Which demographic factor is linked to higher maternal and neonatal morbidity in many settings?
- Higher maternal education
- Poor access to antenatal care and adolescent pregnancy
- Universal skilled birth attendance
- Comprehensive prenatal screening
Correct Answer: Poor access to antenatal care and adolescent pregnancy
Q25. How can pharmacists address social causes of poor health among patients?
- Ignore social context and only dispense medications
- Provide medication counseling, identify barriers and refer to social services
- Only increase medication doses
- Refuse to consider patient socioeconomic status
Correct Answer: Provide medication counseling, identify barriers and refer to social services
Q26. What social problem contributes to antimicrobial resistance at the community level?
- Strict prescription controls and stewardship
- Over-the-counter antibiotic use and self-medication
- Complete access to diagnostics
- High adherence to full antibiotic courses
Correct Answer: Over-the-counter antibiotic use and self-medication
Q27. Which social determinant is most relevant for elder patients facing polypharmacy risks?
- Strong social support and daily assistance
- Social isolation, multimorbidity and fragmented care
- Homogeneous care coordination
- Comprehensive geriatric services availability
Correct Answer: Social isolation, multimorbidity and fragmented care
Q28. How does food insecurity relate to medication effectiveness in chronic disease?
- Food insecurity improves drug absorption uniformly
- It can lead to poor nutritional status, affecting pharmacokinetics and adherence
- Has no relation to medications
- Guarantees timely medication refills
Correct Answer: It can lead to poor nutritional status, affecting pharmacokinetics and adherence
Q29. Which community strategy can reduce domestic violence-related health problems?
- Silencing survivors and ignoring reports
- Community awareness, legal protection and support services for victims
- Reducing social support networks
- Increasing stigma around reporting
Correct Answer: Community awareness, legal protection and support services for victims
Q30. Why is integrating social history into pharmaceutical care important?
- It distracts from pharmacotherapy
- It identifies barriers to adherence, unsafe exposures and tailors interventions
- Only clinicians need social histories
- It has no effect on treatment outcomes
Correct Answer: It identifies barriers to adherence, unsafe exposures and tailors interventions
I am a Registered Pharmacist under the Pharmacy Act, 1948, and the founder of PharmacyFreak.com. I hold a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree from Rungta College of Pharmaceutical Science and Research. With a strong academic foundation and practical knowledge, I am committed to providing accurate, easy-to-understand content to support pharmacy students and professionals. My aim is to make complex pharmaceutical concepts accessible and useful for real-world application.
Mail- Sachin@pharmacyfreak.com