Under a district diabetes control initiative, only first-degree relatives of known diabetic patients above 35 years of age are offered blood glucose testing at home visits; the rest of the community is not tested. This approach is best described as:
- A Mass screening
- B Selective screening ✓
- C Multiphasic screening
- D Case-finding
Correct answer: B. Selective screening
Explanation
Selective screening is applied to defined high-risk groups rather than the whole population. First-degree relatives of diabetics are a recognised high-risk group, so restricting testing to them is selective screening. Mass screening covers the entire population irrespective of risk. Multiphasic screening means applying several tests simultaneously to a population. Case-finding, or opportunistic screening, refers to testing done incidentally when an at-risk person consults a physician for another complaint.
Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 27th ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
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