Epidemiology & Prevention USMLE Step 1 Practice Question
A researcher compares crude mortality rates between a retirement community (mean age 78 years) and a nearby university town (mean age 22 years). The retirement community demonstrates a crude annual mortality rate of 45 per 1,000 versus 8 per 1,000 in the university town. Recent census data show no significant differences in healthcare access between communities. Which statistical method most appropriately determines whether this mortality difference persists after adjusting for the substantial variation in population age structure between the two groups?
Answer choices
- ACalculating the positive predictive value of death
- BMatching each death certificate by sex only
- CIncreasing the sample size in the university town
- DUsing a case series instead of population data
- EAge-standardized mortality comparisonCorrect answer
- FStratified analysis by healthcare access status
See the full explanation
Get the correct-answer rationale, why each distractor is wrong, the underlying mechanism, and high-yield associations — plus adaptive practice that targets your weak areas — with a free MedBoardPRO account.