Synonyms
Cumulative incidence ratio; Relative ratio (RR)
Definition
The relative risk quantifies how many times more or less likely the disease is in “exposed” people compared to “unexposed” people. Traditionally, exposure has been considered in terms of environmental agents, but in genetic studies exposure can refer to the underlying genotype or allele. A null value of 1.0 indicates that the disease is equally likely in exposed and unexposed people; a value greater than 1.0 indicates that the disease is more likely in exposed people; and a value less than 1.0 suggests that the disease is more likely in unexposed people. Usually, a relative risk is given in percent.
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© 2008 Springer-Verlag
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(2008). Relative Risk . In: Kirch, W. (eds) Encyclopedia of Public Health. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-5614-7_2978
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-5614-7_2978
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-5613-0
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-5614-7
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