A risk factor is something that increases your chances of getting a disease. The factors can be environmental, behavioral, or biologic in nature. If these factors are present, it increases the probability of a disease occurring. In research terminology, risk factors are exposures that are statistically related in some way to an outcome. Biologic risk factors are hereditary and genetic features such as age, race, or gender. These factors cannot be altered. Behavioral risk factors include smoking, overeating, and lack of exercise, among others. These factors can be modified to some extent to prevent a disease from occurring.
Environmental risk factors include air and water pollution and poor sanitation. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that many diseases could be prevented through better management of the environment. Studies by WHO have examined the impact of environmental risks on diseases and injuries. It has been estimated that one quarter of the world’s diseases and...
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Carr, C.H. (2012). Risk Factors for Disease. In: Loue, S., Sajatovic, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Immigrant Health. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-5659-0_663
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