Public Health Nursing Practice Exam

During the late 1800s, why were local health departments established in urban areas?

1. To manage health insurance initiatives

2. To address environmental health hazards

3. To monitor hospital quality control

4. To provide medical training for nurses

The correct answer is: To address environmental health hazards

The establishment of local health departments in urban areas during the late 1800s was primarily driven by the need to address environmental health hazards. Rapid urbanization during this period led to overcrowding, unsanitary living conditions, and the spread of infectious diseases. Local health departments were formed to implement public health measures, educate the public on hygiene, manage waste disposal, and control outbreaks of diseases such as cholera and typhoid fever. These departments played a crucial role in the overall improvement of community health, making their focus on environmental health not only relevant but essential in that historical context. The other options, while related to aspects of public health, do not accurately reflect the primary reasons for the establishment of local health departments during that time. Health insurance initiatives were not a significant concern during the late 1800s, and hospital quality control as a formalized process gained emphasis later. Similarly, medical training for nurses became more prominent in the following decades, rather than being a direct aim of the health departments at the time of their inception.