Correlating Risk Factors

• What is the focus of the lesson described in the video?

  Determining risk factors linked to non-communicable diseases.
• What is the difference between communicable and non-communicable diseases?

  Communicable diseases are spread by pathogens; non-communicable diseases are caused by risk factors.
• What is epidemiology?

  Epidemiology is the study of patterns of disease to determine risk factors.
• What is a causal mechanism in the context of disease?

  • A scientific explanation of how a risk factor can cause a disease
  • Involves understanding the biological processes involved
• Why could scientists not conduct experiments on humans to determine the causes of lung cancer?

  It would be unethical to conduct experiments on humans for this purpose.
• How did scientists determine a correlation between smoking and lung cancer?

  They plotted data on cigarette consumption against lung cancer incidence on a scatter graph.
• What does a positive correlation indicate in the context of smoking and lung cancer?

  • As the number of cigarettes smoked increases, the risk of developing lung cancer also increases.
  • It suggests a link but does not prove causation.
• What are carcinogens?

  Carcinogens are chemicals in cigarette smoke that damage DNA and increase the risk of cancer.
• What is the importance of sampling in epidemiology?

  • Sampling allows researchers to draw conclusions about a population without studying everyone.
  • It must be large and random to avoid bias.
• What is a potential problem with biased sampling in epidemiological studies?

  It can result in conclusions that do not accurately reflect the entire population.
• What should researchers do to avoid bias in sampling?

  Researchers should take a large and random sample.