Risk in CVD

Question 1

define the term risk

Answer 1

the chance of something unfavourable happening

Question 2

explain perception of risk

Answer 2

perception of risk is different to actual risk where it can be overestimated or underestimated

Question 3

factors causing overestimation of risk

Answer 3

the risk is :
not natural 
not familiar 
is dreaded 
not fair 
very small

Question 4

factors that cause underestimation of risk :

Answer 4

lack of information, making them unaware of the factors that contribute to diseases

Question 5

three uncontrolled factors that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease

Answer 5

• age= elasticity of arteries decrease with age the buildup of plaque will slowly increase over time
• gender= The level of oestrogen in women help increase the levels of good cholesterol
• heredity = some people may inherit genes that make them more likely to have high blood pressure or high blood cholesterol

Question 6

controllable factors that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease

Answer 6

diet = diets with high saturated fat increase blood cholesterol levels

high bp= excessive alcohol consumption, increase the risk of damage to artery walls, stress

smoking = nicotine makes platelets sticky which form blood clots, carbon monoxide reduces the amount of oxygen transported by the haemoglobin in the blood

Question 7

Factors that make a study reliable

Answer 7

SAMPLE SIZE : The greater the number of people used in the study the more reliable the results

REPETITION BY SCIENTISTS : if other scientist produce the same results then the results are more reliable

CONTROLS [dont have the disease ] : having controls or even a high number of controls increases the validity of the results

VARIABLES : The more controlled variables present (other factors that would affect the results) the more valid the results

Question 8

describe cohort studies

Answer 8

A prospective study that follows a group of people over time to see where they developed a certain disease or not

at the start of the study none of the participants have the disease, During the study the participants exposure to certain risk factors is recorded and any correlation to the disease is identified

Question 9

Describe the limitation of cohort studies

Answer 9

It takes a very long time And can take years so therefore is very time consuming

Question 10

describe case control studies

Answer 10

A retrospective study when individual already has a disease and is Questioned and Assessed about their past exposure to risk factors and is compared to control subjects

Question 11

Factors to ensure a valid case control study

Answer 11

The control group should be representative of the population from which the case group was drawn from for example :same age and sex
This help scientist to investigate the potential role of the unknown risk

Question 12

what features make a good study?

Answer 12

having a clear aim
having valid and reliable results
A large sample size
controlling variables
A representative sample: as inclusive of the population as possible