Biology 1.3 Lifestyle and Health

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  • Created by: Anna
  • Created on: 04-04-13 16:11

What is risk?

Risk = a measure of the probability that damage to health will occur as a result of a given hazard. It features:

  • probability that event will occur
  • consequences of event.

NB: Risk is about probabilities, not certainties.

Risk can be measured by comparing likelyhood of harm - those exposed to hazard and those not exposed to it. e.g. smokers more likely to get lung cancer than non-smokers.

Also involves:

  • Over what time period does risk occur? e.g. number of years smoked for.
  • Level of exposure to hazard e.g. number of cigarettes a day.
  • Other factors influence? e.g. stress, alcohol.
  • Location?

Statistics can be misleading e.g. 1000 people die, actually die over 14 years, so only…

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