An epidemiologist notes that although a small subgroup with markedly elevated cholesterol has a high individual risk of coronary heart disease, most coronary events in the community occur among people with only mildly elevated or average cholesterol levels simply because they vastly outnumber the high-risk group. This observation is known as:

• A The prevention paradox ✓
• B The population attributable risk fraction
• C The iceberg phenomenon
• D The ecological fallacy

Explanation

Geoffrey Rose described the prevention paradox: a preventive measure that brings large benefits to the community offers little benefit to each participating individual, because most cases arise from the low-risk majority rather than the high-risk minority. Population attributable fraction is a numerical measure of excess disease due to an exposure, not this conceptual observation. Ecological fallacy is erroneous inference from group-level data to individuals, a different error entirely.

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

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

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