RISK FACTOR Definition & Meaning

risk factor

noun

a condition, behavior, or other factor that increases risk:
Smoking is a major risk factor for cancer;
depression as a risk factor in suicide.

risk factor

noun

med a factor, such as a habit or an environmental condition, that predisposes an individual to develop a particular disease

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of risk factor¹

First recorded in 1945–50

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The company has cited as a “risk factor” that if the shares decline to a certain level, his lenders could force him to sell some of those shares to cover his debt.

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And inflammation, associated with arthritis, is also an important risk factor for conditions ranging from heart disease to cancer to neurodegenerative diseases.

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“While scientific evidence for this connection has been growing over the past four decades, less than half of Americans recognize it as a risk factor for cancer.”

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A survey by the American Institute for Cancer Research found that 89% of Americans recognized that smoking causes cancer and 53% knew that obesity was a risk factor, but only 45% realized that alcohol could cause cancer as well.

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Scientists first linked alcohol consumption to certain cancers nearly 50 years ago, and the evidence showing that drinking is a risk factor for at least seven types of cancer has grown since then, the advisory says.

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