FMSC 310 Practice Exam #1 Vocabulary Review

Vocabulary flashcards defining fundamental maternal and child health concepts, epidemiological terms, and social determinants covered in FMSC 310 Practice Exam #1.

MCH

An abbreviation for Maternal, Child, and Family Health.

Ignaz Semmelweis

The historical figure associated with promoting hand hygiene and handwashing to prevent infections in healthcare settings.

Children's Bureau

A federal agency established in 1912 dedicated to improving the health and welfare of children and families.

Infant Mortality

The death of a child before their first birthday relative to live births, serving as a key indicator of population health.

Maternal Mortality

Pregnancy-related death occurring during pregnancy or within 42 days after pregnancy ends, excluding accidental or incidental causes.

Health Disparity

An avoidable difference in health status linked to social, economic, or environmental disadvantage.

Equality

Providing the exact same resources to everyone regardless of individual needs or circumstances.

Equity

Adjusting resources and support to meet individuals' specific needs and remove systemic barriers.

Life Course Framework

A conceptual approach emphasizing that health is shaped by experiences and environmental exposures across an entire lifetime, including before birth.

Early Programming Mechanism

A life course mechanism focusing on sensitive developmental windows where exposures can produce lasting, irreversible effects on health.

Cumulative Risk Mechanism

A life course mechanism focusing on how prolonged or repeated exposures to risks, such as poverty or stress, build up over time to influence health.

Fetal Origins Hypothesis

The proposition that environmental conditions and nutrition during prenatal development can influence health and susceptibility to chronic disease in adulthood.

Epigenetics

The study of changes in gene expression that take place without altering the underlying genetic code or DNA sequence.

Weathering Hypothesis

A hypothesis stating that chronic social stress and socio-economic disadvantage lead to accelerated physical wear-and-tear and premature biological aging.

Allostatic Load

The physiological strain and cumulative wear-and-tear on the body resulting from repeated or chronic stress and biological adaptation.

Institutionalized Racism

Differential access to goods, services, and opportunities of society embedded in laws, policies, institutions, and systemic practices.

Personally Mediated Racism

Interpersonal prejudice and discrimination where individuals hold biased beliefs or treat others differently based on race.

Internalized Racism

Acceptance and absorption of stigmatizing beliefs and negative stereotypes by members of the stigmatized racial group about their own abilities and worth.

Descriptive Epidemiology

An epidemiological method focused on summarizing health-related data by asking who is affected, what the conditions are, and where and when events occur.

Public Health Surveillance

The continuous, systematic collection and analysis of health data to track trends, detect outbreaks, and guide public health action.

Folic Acid

A B-vitamin recommended before conception and during early pregnancy to prevent neural tube defects.

Reproductive Justice

A human rights framework asserting the core rights to have children, not have children, and parent children in safe and healthy environments.

Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC)

Highly effective forms of birth control that provide extended pregnancy prevention and can be removed at any time, specifically intrauterine devices (IUDs) and implants.

Spontaneous Abortion

The unintentional loss of a pregnancy before viability, commonly referred to as a miscarriage.

Induced Abortion

The intentional medical or surgical termination of a pregnancy.

Mifepristone and Misoprostol

The primary medication regimen used to safely induce a medication abortion.

Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)

A fertility treatment procedure in which prepared sperm is placed directly inside a woman's uterus to facilitate fertilization.

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)

An assisted reproductive technology procedure where eggs are retrieved and fertilized by sperm outside the body in a laboratory setting.

Mistimed Pregnancy

A subtype of unintended pregnancy that occurs sooner or earlier than a person desired.

Comprehensive Sex Education

Sexuality instruction that provides broad information regarding sexual health, pregnancy prevention, and contraception alongside discussions of abstinence.