A prospective cohort study of coal miners follows two groups: those with >10 years of mining exposure and those with <2 years. The incidence of pneumoconiosis is 45/1000 person-years vs. 3/1000 person-years respectively. The attributable risk percent (AR%) in the exposed group is approximately:

• A 85%
• B 78%
• C 50%
• D 93% ✓

Explanation

Attributable Risk Percent in the exposed = (Incidence in exposed − Incidence in unexposed) / Incidence in exposed × 100 = (45 − 3)/45 × 100 = 42/45 × 100 ≈ 93.3%. This represents the proportion of disease in the exposed group that is attributable to the occupational exposure and could theoretically be prevented by eliminating it. This is distinct from population AR% which accounts for the prevalence of exposure in the population.

Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 27th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

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