Impact of urbanization on health and disease MCQs With Answer

Impact of urbanization on health and disease MCQs With Answer — Introduction

Urbanization reshapes population distribution, environmental exposures, and health systems, influencing epidemiology of infectious and non‑communicable diseases. For B.Pharm students, understanding links between urban growth, air and water pollution, sanitation, vector ecology, lifestyle changes, antimicrobial resistance, and healthcare access is essential for drug therapy, prevention, and public health planning. This topic covers environmental health, social determinants, occupational hazards, mental health, injury and road‑traffic risks, surveillance and One Health approaches. Recognizing urban disease drivers helps pharmacists advise on medication safety, chronic disease management, and outbreak response. Now let’s test your knowledge with 30 MCQs on this topic.

Q1. Which statement best defines the impact of urbanization on health?

• Concentration of population in urban areas leading to shifts in disease patterns and environmental exposures
• Migration from rural to urban areas with no change in health determinants
• Decrease in pollution and improved sanitation automatically reducing all diseases
• Equal distribution of healthcare resources between urban and rural areas

Correct Answer: Concentration of population in urban areas leading to shifts in disease patterns and environmental exposures

Q2. Which factor most contributes to increased non‑communicable diseases (NCDs) in cities?

• Higher rates of vector breeding sites
• Sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy diet, and air pollution
• Lack of grocery stores
• Lower population density

Correct Answer: Sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy diet, and air pollution

Q3. Urban air pollution primarily increases risk for which condition?

• Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Hepatitis A
• Malnutrition
• Parasite infestations

Correct Answer: Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

Q4. Which urban factor accelerates antimicrobial resistance (AMR)?

• Strict antibiotic stewardship programs
• Overcrowding and inappropriate antibiotic use
• Access to clean water
• Reduced population density

Correct Answer: Overcrowding and inappropriate antibiotic use

Q5. Waterborne outbreaks in cities are most commonly linked to:

• Contaminated drinking water and poor sanitation
• High altitude living
• Excessive exercise
• Low population mobility

Correct Answer: Contaminated drinking water and poor sanitation

Q6. Which vector is commonly associated with urban dengue transmission?

• Anopheles mosquito
• Aedes aegypti mosquito
• Culex pipiens mosquito
• Tsetse fly

Correct Answer: Aedes aegypti mosquito

Q7. Urban heat islands mainly affect health by increasing:

• Risk of hypothermia
• Heat‑related illnesses and cardiovascular stress
• Incidence of scurvy
• Soil fertility

Correct Answer: Heat‑related illnesses and cardiovascular stress

Q8. Which social determinant is most linked to poor health outcomes in urban slums?

• High household income
• Poor housing, overcrowding and limited access to sanitation
• Abundant green space
• Comprehensive healthcare coverage

Correct Answer: Poor housing, overcrowding and limited access to sanitation

Q9. The One Health approach in urban settings emphasizes:

• Only human clinical care
• Integrated human, animal and environmental health interventions
• Exclusive focus on vector control without community input
• Urban planning without health data

Correct Answer: Integrated human, animal and environmental health interventions

Q10. Which respiratory pollutant is most implicated in increased cardiovascular mortality in cities?

• Particulate matter (PM2.5)
• Ozone only at ground level
• Nitrogen in soil
• Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) indoors

Correct Answer: Particulate matter (PM2.5)

Q11. Urbanization affects mental health through which mechanism?

• Improved social cohesion only
• Increased stressors like noise, crowding, and social isolation
• Reduction of all psychiatric disorders
• Guaranteed employment for all residents

Correct Answer: Increased stressors like noise, crowding, and social isolation

Q12. Which intervention best reduces diarrheal disease in dense urban neighborhoods?

• Improved water quality, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services
• Only providing antibiotics to households
• Reducing vaccination coverage
• Promoting indoor air pollution

Correct Answer: Improved water quality, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services

Q13. Road traffic injuries in rapidly urbanizing cities are primarily reduced by:

• Ignoring traffic laws
• Engineering safer roads, enforcement and public transport
• Increasing private vehicle ownership
• Reducing pedestrian walkways

Correct Answer: Engineering safer roads, enforcement and public transport

Q14. Which public health surveillance activity is essential in urban outbreak detection?

• Passive reporting only without laboratory confirmation
• Timely case reporting, laboratory diagnostics and syndromic surveillance
• Waiting for annual summaries
• Ignoring informal health providers

Correct Answer: Timely case reporting, laboratory diagnostics and syndromic surveillance

Q15. How does poor urban housing increase exposure to infectious disease?

• By providing buffer zones from vectors
• Through overcrowding, poor ventilation and rodent/insect infestations
• By decreasing contact rates
• By increasing sunlight exposure indoors

Correct Answer: Through overcrowding, poor ventilation and rodent/insect infestations

Q16. Which pharmacotherapy concern increases in polluted urban environments?

• Reduced need for chronic medications
• Higher demand for respiratory drugs and increased exacerbations
• Elimination of drug side effects
• Decreased medication adherence due to fewer health issues

Correct Answer: Higher demand for respiratory drugs and increased exacerbations

Q17. Vector control in urban settings is complicated by:

• Low human population density
• Complex breeding sites like discarded containers and intermittent water storage
• Uniform housing quality
• Absence of human movement

Correct Answer: Complex breeding sites like discarded containers and intermittent water storage

Q18. Which urban food environment change contributes to obesity?

• Increased availability of fresh produce
• Proliferation of energy‑dense, nutrient‑poor fast foods
• Mandatory physical activity programs
• Reduction in processed food advertising

Correct Answer: Proliferation of energy‑dense, nutrient‑poor fast foods

Q19. In slum populations, which vaccination strategy improves coverage?

• Static clinic hours only
• Outreach, mobile clinics and community engagement
• Only relying on tertiary hospitals
• Charging high fees for vaccines

Correct Answer: Outreach, mobile clinics and community engagement

Q20. Which occupational hazard commonly affects urban waste workers?

• Exposure to infectious agents and chemical contaminants
• Excessive sunlight leading to vitamin D toxicity
• Lack of noise exposure
• Reduced physical activity

Correct Answer: Exposure to infectious agents and chemical contaminants

Q21. Climate change interacting with urbanization most increases risk of:

• Fewer heatwaves
• More frequent heatwaves, flooding and vector range shifts
• Stabilized vector distributions
• Lower sea levels

Correct Answer: More frequent heatwaves, flooding and vector range shifts

Q22. Which indicator reflects health system capacity in cities?

• Number of vacant lots
• Density of healthcare facilities, trained staff and essential medicines
• Average commute time only
• Volume of private cars

Correct Answer: Density of healthcare facilities, trained staff and essential medicines

Q23. Urban migration can reintroduce infectious diseases to cities through:

• Strict quarantine of all migrants
• Movement of infected individuals and asymptomatic carriers
• Complete immunity of migrants
• Elimination of all vectors

Correct Answer: Movement of infected individuals and asymptomatic carriers

Q24. Which environmental exposure is linked to neurodevelopmental effects in children in urban areas?

• Lead exposure from polluted dust and old paints
• Pure bottled water consumption
• Regular physical play outdoors
• High fiber diets

Correct Answer: Lead exposure from polluted dust and old paints

Q25. What role can pharmacists play during urban infectious disease outbreaks?

• Only dispense unrelated medications
• Provide patient education, ensure appropriate medication use and support vaccination programs
• Refuse to provide information to the public
• Stop reporting adverse events

Correct Answer: Provide patient education, ensure appropriate medication use and support vaccination programs

Q26. Poor urban waste management most directly increases risk of:

• Decreased vector populations
• Vector‑borne and rodent‑associated diseases
• Enhanced water purification
• Reduced community transmission

Correct Answer: Vector‑borne and rodent‑associated diseases

Q27. Which metric is commonly used to measure air pollution health burden in cities?

• PM2.5 concentration and attributable mortality
• Number of bicycles
• Soil pH
• Average building height

Correct Answer: PM2.5 concentration and attributable mortality

Q28. Urban food safety risks often stem from:

• Strict cold chain maintenance
• Poor storage, informal markets and inadequate hygiene
• Universal pasteurization of all foods
• Overregulation leading to safe food always

Correct Answer: Poor storage, informal markets and inadequate hygiene

Q29. Which strategy improves resilience of urban health systems?

• Ignoring primary care and focusing only on tertiary hospitals
• Strengthening primary care, emergency preparedness and supply chains
• Reducing health workforce training
• Eliminating disease surveillance

Correct Answer: Strengthening primary care, emergency preparedness and supply chains

Q30. Integration of spatial data (GIS) in urban health helps primarily by:

• Obscuring disease hotspots
• Mapping disease clusters, resource allocation and planning interventions
• Reducing the need for laboratory tests
• Preventing population movement

Correct Answer: Mapping disease clusters, resource allocation and planning interventions

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