Lifestyle & Risk Factors

• What is a risk factor in relation to disease?


  Anything that increases the chance a person will develop a certain disease during their lifetime
• Do risk factors guarantee that a person will develop a disease?


  No, they only increase the chance of it happening
• What type of diseases are the focus of this video?

  Non-communicable diseases
• What are examples of non-communicable diseases mentioned?

  Coronary heart disease, diabetes, and cancer
• What are the two main categories of risk factors?


  Aspects of a person's lifestyle and substances in the person's body or environment
• How does obesity serve as a risk factor?


  It is often due to poor lifestyle choices and increases the risk for diabetes and heart attacks
• What are some environmental risk factors for diseases?


  Exposure to air pollution and smoking
• How do multiple risk factors interact in relation to cardiovascular disease?


  Diet, obesity, smoking, and lack of exercise all contribute to cardiovascular disease
• What direct evidence links smoking to diseases?


  Smoking has been proven to directly cause cardiovascular disease, lung disease, and lung cancer
• What health problems can arise from drinking too much alcohol?

  Liver disease
• What are the risks of smoking or drinking while pregnant?


  They can lead to a range of health problems for the unborn baby
• How can obesity lead to other diseases?


  Obesity can be caused by poor diet and lack of exercise, leading to type-2 diabetes and cancer
• What substances can cause cancer?


  Exposure to substances like asbestos or radiation
• How do diseases impact individuals and their families?


  Illness can lead to reliance on family support and financial strain if the individual cannot work
• What is the national impact of increased disease prevalence?


  It leads to less productive workforce and higher government spending on health
• What do scientists need to determine about diseases?


  Who catches each type of disease and why
• Why do certain groups have a higher incidence of diseases?


  Some groups are more likely to have certain risk factors
• What lifestyle factors contribute to obesity in developed countries?


  Higher incomes leading to unhealthy food consumption and sedentary lifestyles
• How do deprived areas in the UK relate to health risks?


  People from deprived areas are more likely to smoke, have poor diets, and not exercise enough
• What are the key takeaways regarding risk factors and disease?


  • Many risk factors affect disease chances
  • Some risk factors are out of our control
  • Choices we make significantly impact our health