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Relative risk is a statistical measure used in epidemiology and medical research to assess the risk of a particular group of events (e.g. diseases) in relation to another group. It is used to quantify and compare the effect of a particular exposure or intervention on the probability of an event.
Relative risk is usually expressed as a ratio or quotient and can be calculated as follows:
\[Relative\, risk = \frac{risk\, in\, der\, exposed\, group}{risk\, in\, der\, non-exposed\, group}\]
In this formula:
- The "risk in the exposed group" refers to the probability of an event occurring in a group exposed to the potential source of risk.
- The "risk in the unexposed group" is the probability of the event occurring in a comparison group that is not exposed to the risk source.
The Relative Risk result indicates how much more likely it is that the event will occur in the exposed group compared to the unexposed group. A relative risk of 1 means that there is no difference in risk between the two groups. A value greater than 1 indicates an increased risk in the exposed group, while a value less than 1 indicates a reduced risk.
Relative risk is an important concept in epidemiological research as it is used to assess the effectiveness of interventions, treatments or exposures and to investigate associations between risk factors and specific health conditions. It makes it possible to quantify the strength of the association between an exposure and an outcome, thus providing the basis for evidence-based decisions in medicine and health policy.