What are the Primary Risk Factors?
According to the World Health Report 2010, the major risk factors include:
- tobacco use
- the harmful use of alcohol
- raised blood pressure (or hypertension)
- physical inactivity
- raised cholesterol
- overweight/obesity
- unhealthy diet
- raised blood glucose
In individuals, we can classify the risks factors as follows:
- Background risk factors, such as age, sex, level of education and genetic composition;
- Behavioural risk factors, such as tobacco use, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity; and
- Intermediate risk factors, such as elevated blood lipids, diabetes, high blood pressure and overweight/obesity.
In communities, the main factors that can impact health include:
- Social and economic conditions, such as poverty, employment and family composition;
- Environment, such as climate or air pollution;
- Culture, such as practices, norms and values; and
- Urbanization, which influences housing, access to products and services.
The following graph depicts the relationship between risk factors, conditions and common disease end-points:
Chronic diseases share common risk factors and conditions. While some risk factors, such as our age, sex, and our genetic make-up, cannot be changed, many behavioural risk factors can be modified, as well as a number of intermediate biological factors including high blood pressure, being overweight or obese, elevated blood lipids, and pre-diabetes. Societal, economic, and physical conditions influence and shape behaviour and indirectly affect other biological factors. The recognition of these common risk factors and conditions is the conceptual basis for an integrated approach to chronic disease.
More Chronic Disease Risk Factors
FAQs
Similar to what the 2016 Report indicated, except for tobacco smoking, Canada continues to have high prevalence of modifiable risk factors associated with chronic diseases [physical inactivity (62.4% for children and youth and 82.5% for adults), unhealthy eating (70.0% for Canadians 12+ years) and harmful use of ...
What are the 3 leading risk factors for disease burden in Canada? ›
Similar to what the 2016 Report indicated, except for tobacco smoking, Canada continues to have high prevalence of modifiable risk factors associated with chronic diseases [physical inactivity (62.4% for children and youth and 82.5% for adults), unhealthy eating (70.0% for Canadians 12+ years) and harmful use of ...
What are the 3 main factors that lead to chronic diseases? ›
Most chronic diseases are caused by a short list of risk factors: smoking, poor nutrition, physical inactivity, and excessive alcohol use.
What causes chronic illness? ›
Chronic diseases, often referred to as noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), usually emerge in middle age after long exposure to an unhealthy lifestyle involving tobacco use, a lack of regular physical activity, and consumption of diets rich in highly saturated fats, sugars, and salt, typified by "fast foods." This ...
What are the 3 most common risk factors for chronic illness? ›
Here are ten of the most common risk factors associated with chronic diseases:
- Tobacco use. ...
- Physical inactivity. ...
- Excessive alcohol consumption. ...
- Unhealthy diet. ...
- Air pollution. ...
- Inherited mutations. ...
- Family history. ...
- Rural location.
Interpretation: Metabolic and behavioural risk factors, including modifiable factors such as tobacco use and diet, remain the leading risk factors contributing to the burden of diseases and injuries in Canada.
What are the seven 7 primary risk factors for developing a chronic disease? ›
What are the Primary Risk Factors?
- tobacco use.
- the harmful use of alcohol.
- raised blood pressure (or hypertension)
- physical inactivity.
- raised cholesterol.
- overweight/obesity.
- unhealthy diet.
- raised blood glucose.
Many chronic diseases (including coronary heart disease, cancer and diabetes) share common lifestyle risk factors such as: physical inactivity • poor nutrition • smoking • risky alcohol consumption.
What are the four 4 main risk factors for preventable chronic disease? ›
The cost of chronic disease worldwide is estimated to reach $47 trillion by 2030. Many preventable chronic diseases can be modified by addressing 4 major risk factors: physical inactivity, poor nutrition, tobacco use, and excessive alcohol.
What is the burden of chronic diseases in Canada? ›
In Canada, chronic diseases account for 89% of all deaths and more than $80 billion in annual health care costs. Adopting healthy lifestyle behaviours, such as healthy eating, has the potential to prevent 80% of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, 40% of cancers, and other chronic diseases.
Major chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), cancer, chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) and diabetes are the cause of 65% of all deaths in Canada each year and are the leading causes of death globally.
What is the hardest chronic illness to live with? ›
Here's a list of debilitating diseases that significantly change the lives of millions of people:
- Alzheimer's and Dementia.
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) – Lou Gherig's Disease. ...
- Parkinson's Disease. ...
- Multiple Sclerosis (MS) ...
- Scleroderma. ...
- Cystic Fibrosis. ...
- Chronic Obstructive Pulminary Disease (COPD) ...
- Cerebral Palsy. ...
This chapter investigates important risk factors for chronic disease including cigarette smoking, physical inactivity, unhealthy eating. The majority of Canadians have at least one of these risk factors, which have a strong influence on several disease outcomes [3].
What is the root cause of chronic disease? ›
For all kinds of chronic disease the root cause is poor lifestyle choices. Smoking, overuse of alcohol, poor diet, lack of physical activity and inadequate relief of chronic stress are key contributors in the development and progression of preventable chronic diseases.
What are three specific actions you can take to help avoid chronic disease? ›
Prevention steps and strategies
- Quit Smoking. Stopping smoking (or never starting) lowers the risk of serious health problems, such as heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and lung disease, as well as premature death—even for longtime smokers. ...
- Eat Healthy. ...
- Get Regular Physical Activity. ...
- Limit Alcohol. ...
- Get Screened.
Risk Factors in Health and Disease
- Behavioural.
- Physiological.
- Demographic.
- Environmental.
- Genetic.
Major chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), cancer, chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) and diabetes, are the cause of 65% of all deaths in Canada each year and are the leading causes of death globally.
What are the 3 types of risk factors that influence your health? ›
Background risk factors, such as age, sex, level of education and genetic composition; Behavioural risk factors, such as tobacco use, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity; and. Intermediate risk factors, such as elevated blood lipids, diabetes, high blood pressure and overweight/obesity.
What are the three 3 major factors affecting health? ›
The determinants of health include:
- the social and economic environment,
- the physical environment, and.
- the person's individual characteristics and behaviours.
