Lesson 1.1
Risk Factors
By Carone
Fitness
Risk Factors
Risk Factors
One way to determine how to improve
your health is to look at your risk factors.
A risk factor is anything that increases
your chances of getting a specific
disease.
Each disease has p
particular risk factors.
These risk factors influence whether or
not a person will get the disease.
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Risk Factors
Risk Factors
For example, risk factors for
breast cancer include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Age
Heredity
Race
Obesity
Diet
Exercise
Risk Factors
Risk Factors
Having one or more risk factors does not
mean you will get the disease. It just
means you have a higher chance of
getting it.
There are different types of risk factors.
Some we have little or no control over,
and others we can control.
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Risk Factors
Non-Controllable Risk Factors
Non-controllable risk factors
include:
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•
•
•
•
Gender
Age
Heredity
Race
Environment
Risk Factors
Heredity
Heredity is all the traits and
characteristics that are passed along
biologically from both parents to a child.
Heredity consists of:
• Physical traits
• Intellectual abilities
• Personality traits
• Tendencies towards specific
diseases
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Risk Factors
Controllable Risk Factors
How does someone decrease their
chances of getting a disease if they
have some of these non-controllable risk
factors?
By taking positive action over the risk
factors that they do control.
Controllable risk factors involve our
behavior, or the choices we make.
Risk Factors
Controllable Risk Factors
Examples of controllable risk factors are:
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•
•
•
•
Diet
Physical activity
Alcohol and tobacco use
Weight management
Participation in high-risk behaviors
(like not wearing your seat belt
while you drive)
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Risk Factors
Health Habits
Often these risk factors are behaviors
that we no longer think about because
they have developed over a prolonged
period of time. They have become
health habits.
Health habits are personal behaviors
that are related to the way a person
li
lives
and
d th
thatt h
help
l d
determine
t
i hi
his or h
her
level of health.
Risk Factors
Health Habits
Some health habits have a positive
influence on your health, such as
brushing and flossing your teeth every
night.
On the other hand, eating junk food in
front of the TV every night has a
negative influence on your health.
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Presented
By Carone
Fitness
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