Understanding Risk and Protective
Factors: Their Use in Selecting
Potential Targets and Promising
Strategies for Interventions
Copyright © 2014 by The University of Kansas
Risk and protective factors
Aspects of a person or their environment that make
it more or less likely they will experience a particular
outcome.
Copyright © 2014 by The University of Kansas
Categories of risk and protective factors
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Personal
Knowledge and skill
Experience and history
Biology/genetics
Environmental
Support and services
Access, barriers, and opportunities
Consequences of efforts
Policies and living conditions
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Knowledge and skill
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Knowledge
Beliefs
Skill
Education and Training
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Experience and History
• Experience.
• Cultural norms and religious practices.
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Biology and Genetics
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Type and degree of existing health
Cognitive, mental, or physical ability
Chronic illness
Gender and age
Genetic predisposition
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Support and services
• Availability of continuity of social support and
ties.
• Availability of appropriate services.
• Availability of resources.
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Access, barriers, and opportunity
• Physical access and barriers.
• Communication access and barriers.
• Competing requirements for participation.
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Consequences and effects
• Incentives and disincentives.
• Time costs and delays.
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Policies and living conditions
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Policies
Financial barriers and resources
Living conditions and hazards
Poverty and social status
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General principles about risk and
protective factors
• Many factors are related to multiple community
outcomes.
• Not all risk and protective factors are created
equal.
• The more risk factors a person has, the greater the
likelihood they will have a given health problem.
Copyright © 2014 by The University of Kansas
When should you use risk and protective
factors
The sooner, the better!
Copyright © 2014 by The University of Kansas
How do you identify risk and protective factors and
use them to select the targets and strategies for your
intervention?
Review information about candidate factors.
• Gather available data
• Develop your own information
• The "But why?" technique
• Conduct focus groups
• Develop and distribute surveys
Select risk and protective factors to be addressed.
• Does it strongly influence the issue?
• Can it be easily changed?
• What is the appropriate mix of risk and protective factors?
• Use information about who is affected by multiple risk factors to help
select your "targets of change."
Use information about the types of risk and protective factors to select
promising strategies for the comprehensive intervention.
Copyright © 2014 by The University of Kansas