Memory Anchor:

• Super Challenge:

  Stretch:

  Challenge:

Key Questions:

1. What are the risk factors that can increase the rate of a disease?
   • Risk factors are linked to an increased rate of a disease. They can be aspects of a person's lifestyle, substances in the person's body or environment.
2. What does the term "risk factors" mean?
   • Risk factors are linked to an increased rate of a disease.
3. What are the different causal mechanisms that have been proven for some risk factors such as diet, smoking, obesity, radiation?
   • A causal mechanism has been proven for some risk factors, but not in others. The effects of diet, smoking and exercise on cardiovascular disease. Obesity as a risk factor for Type 2 diabetes. The effect of alcohol on the liver and brain function. The effect of smoking on lung disease and lung cancer. The effects of smoking and alcohol on unborn babies. Carcinogens, including ionising radiation, as risk factors in cancer.
4. Are diseases usually caused by one or more factors?
   • Many diseases are caused by the interaction of a number of factors.
5. What impact would a larger sample size have on the validity of the data?
   • The larger a sample the more representative of that popular the results of the analysis would be. The data would be more valid.
6. What correlation would you expect to see between the following pairs of variables in terms of risk factors: a) smoking vs. incidence of cancer, b) alcohol consumption vs. foetal growth, c) drugs vs. mental health concerns?
   • The expected correlation between the following variables could be: a) the more you smoke the higher chance of cancer you have, b) the higher the alcohol consumption the lower the foetal growth c) the higher the drug use the higher the risk of mental health concerns