💥 Risk Factors and Health Metrics

the likelihood that an individual will experience a specific health outcome, such as illness or injury, due to certain behaviours, exposures, or conditions.

5.0.1 Risk-Specific Exposures

  • smoking, physical inactivity, high blood pressure (hypertension), and others.

5.0.2 Risk-Specific Outcomes

  • Injuries: falls, accidents, violence

  • Diseases: heart disease, stroke, cancer, liver disease, respiratory diseases, organ damage, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, malaria, chronic diseases, disabilities, hereditary diseases, certain cancers

5.0.3 Risk-Specific Populations

  • Ageing: older adults
  • Genetics: individuals with hereditary diseases or certain cancers
  • Poverty: individuals with limited access to healthcare and poor nutrition

5.0.4 Risk Measures

  • Relative Risks \(RR = \frac{P(E|D)}{P(E|D^c)}\) which is the ratio of the probability of exposure among cases to the probability of exposure among non-cases.
  • Theoretical Minimum-Risk Exposure Levels \(TMREL = \frac{P(E|D)}{P(E|D^c)}\) which is the lowest level of exposure that would result in the lowest risk of disease.
  • Population Attributable Fractions \(PAF = \frac{P(D) - P(D|E)}{P(D)}\) which is the proportion of disease that would be eliminated if the exposure were removed.