Risk factor

A characteristic, behavior, or exposure associated with a higher probability of a health outcome. Association alone does not establish that the factor causes the outcome.

Causality: A relationship in which changes in one factor produce changes in another. A risk factor can be associated with an outcome without causing it.
Exposure: Contact with or presence of a potential influence on health, such as a substance, behavior, or condition. Risk factors may be exposures rather than inherent personal characteristics.
Primary prevention: Measures taken to prevent disease or injury before it occurs. Reducing modifiable risk factors can prevent some outcomes before onset.
Modifiable risk factor: A risk factor whose level or presence can be changed through behavior, treatment, or environmental intervention. Its modifiability makes it a direct target for preventive action.
Confounding: Distortion of an association between variables by a third variable related to both. A confounder can make a noncausal factor appear linked to disease.
Incidence: The occurrence of new cases of a condition in a population over a period. Risk estimates often depend on how frequently new outcomes occur.
Risk assessment: The systematic estimation of the likelihood and severity of potential harms. It combines risk-factor information to estimate an individual's or population's health risks.
Non-modifiable risk factor: A risk factor that cannot be changed, such as age or inherited genetic variation. It can inform risk prediction even when it cannot be directly reduced.
Mediation: A causal pathway in which an intermediate variable transmits part of an effect. Some risk factors affect outcomes through intermediate biological or behavioral steps.
Prevalence: The proportion of a population that has a condition at a specified time or during a period. Prevalence describes existing cases, which is distinct from developing risk.

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