Question 1: Coronary heart disease, or CHD, is a serious health concern and something that should be monitored. In order for the company to monitor its impact appropriately, it will need a list of indicators to identify and gauge. The most reliable indicators concerning coronary heart disease, that I would recommend to the company include age and gender, as they are the most readily identifiable. The older an individual is, for example, the more at risk they are for developing CHD. Pre-menopausal women are also less likely to develop the disease than post-menopausal women, as well. These, of course, are unmodifiable indicators that put an individual at risk for the disease. Other indicators that can be changed, and are often noticeable, include if the individual smokes, is overweight, remains inactive or avoids exercise, and consumes large amounts of alcohol. If the individual seems overly stressed, this can also be an indicator that will later lead to coronary heart disease. Unobservable indicators include whether or not immediate family members have developed the disease, if the individual has diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, an elevated triglyceride count, or if they are overly stressed. In some cases, a person may not appear stressed, when they are and this can have a lasting impact on their heart health. While all of these indicators are important and should be taken into account, the only ones a company can account for in the beginning are age, gender, and observable indicators such as smoking, inactivity, and weight. It would be inappropriate to assume responsibility for indicators the company does not plainly notice, and illegal to ask information pertaining to the employee’s medical background (cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, etc.). Gender itself can be taken into account, but not in such a way that it is used prejudicially. Essentially, the company can only monitor employee activity levels, as well as how they are aging.
Question 2: For the test, all questions should be answered nominally or ordinally.
Age? Answer: Nominal
Gender: Answer: Nominal
Existing medical conditions in your family: Nominal
QUESTIONS ABOUT YOU (i.e. the employee)
History of high cholesterol? Answer: Nominal
History of high triglycerides? Answer: Nominal
History of high blood pressure? Answer: Nominal
Diabetes? Answer: Nominal
Do you smoke? Answer: Nominal
If so, how often? Answer: Ordinal (a few cigarettes a week, a few cigarettes a day, several cigarettes each day, one pack each day, several packs a week, a carton each week or more)
How often do you exercise? Answer: Ordinal (Never, Once a week, A few times a week, several times each week, Nearly every day to every day)
How many drinks do you consume each week? Answer: Ordinal (None, 1-3, 3-5, 5-7, 7 or more).
How stressed would you say you are on a regular basis? Answer: Ordinal (Not stressed at all, A little stressed, mild to regularly stressed, very stressed, stressed all the time).
