7.1 non-communicable diseases

• non-communicable diseases cannot be passed from one person to another.
• Risk factors which are linked to an increased rate of disease include:

  • age
  • genetic make-up
  • diet, obesity level of exercise and smoking status
  • ionising radiation, UV light from the sun and second-hand tobacco smoke
• a correlation is a link between two variables that is not necessarily causal.
• a causal mechanism is a factor that directly causes or influences another factor
• For some non-communicable diseases, it has not yet been possible to prove a causal mechanism.