(8088) NCCMT - URE - Relative Risk it’s easy to calculate and interpret

What is relative risk (RR)?

Relative risk (RR) describes the likelihood of a certain event happening in one group versus another.

When can relative risk (RR) be calculated?

Relative risk can only be calculated in studies with two possible outcomes and when one group is exposed to an intervention or risk factor and the other group is not.

What does an RR of 1 indicate?

An RR of 1 indicates that there is no difference in risk between the two groups.

If the RR is less than 1, what does that mean?

If the RR is less than 1, it indicates that the group exposed to the intervention has a lower risk of the event than the group not exposed.

In the example with dental caries education, what was the calculated RR?

The calculated RR in the dental caries education example was 0.5.

How do you interpret an RR of 0.5?

An RR of 0.5 means that children receiving education are at half the risk of developing dental caries compared to those who do not receive the education.

What would an RR of 0.25 signify?

An RR of 0.25 would signify that the risk for developing dental caries in children receiving education is 75% less than that of children not receiving the education.

In the physical activity example, how was the RR calculated?

The RR was calculated by dividing the likelihood of participating in physical activity among those exposed (0.75) by the likelihood among those not exposed (0.45).

What does an RR of 1.67 indicate?

An RR of 1.67 indicates that those exposed to the community-based intervention are 1.67 times more likely to participate in physical activity than those not exposed.

Why are relative risks important in public health?

Relative risks are important because they help determine if a relationship exists between exposure to interventions or risk factors and events, and also show the strength of that relationship.