7.1 Non-communicable diseases

Question 1

What is a non-communicable disease?

Answer 1

non‑infectious disease that cannot be passed from one individual to another

Question 2

Describe the main difference between a non-communicable disease and communicable disease?

Answer 2

Communicable diseases caused by pathogens (e.g., bacteria, viruses, fungi),
whilst non‑communicable diseases affect people as a result of genetic makeup, lifestyle, or environmental factors.

Question 3

Explain what risk factors are?

Answer 3

Risk factors are factors that increase your risk of developing a particular disease.
They may be something you cannot change (e.g., inherited genes), lifestyle factors (e.g., smoking increases risk of heart disease and lung cancer), or environmental factors (e.g., ionising radiation).

Question 4

What are correlations?

Answer 4

Correlations are apparent links between two factors (e.g., between number of people who smoke and number of people with throat and lung cancer).
However, correlation does not mean one thing necessarily causes another.
If a correlation is seen, further work is needed to determine a causal mechanism.

Question 5

What is causal mechanisms?

Answer 5

Causal mechanisms explain how one factor influences another through a biological process (e.g., smoking has been shown to increase risk of lung cancer because chemicals in smoke increase risk of mutation in cells).

Question 6

Name examples of risk factors for non-communicable diseases?

Answer 6

• diet
• obesity
• fitness levels
• smoking
• drinking alcohol
• exposure to carcinogens in the environment such as ionising radiation

Question 7

We have the power to influence, change or remove many risk factors for non-communicable diseases from our lives

TRUE OR FALSE

Answer 7

True