Prevention Paradox Flashcards
Who came up with the idea of the prevention paradox and when?
Rose, 1981
What is the prevention paradox?
The seemingly contradictory situation where the majority of cases of a disease come from a population that is low or medium risk, and only a minority of cases of the same disease come from the so-called “high risk” population
Why does this happen?
Because the number of people in the high risk group is usually a lot smaller than in the lower risk groups
What is an example of prevention paradox
Down’s Syndrome risk increases with maternal age, yet most cases are reported in coming from younger, low risk females, due there being more younger women having babies.
Why is the Down’s Syndrome example paradoxical?
It is common and logical to equate “high risk” populations with making up the majority of reported case, yet this is not found to be the case.
When is the prevention paradox likely to happen?
When governments or organisations attempt to introduce large-scale interventions
Why does the prevention paradox often occur with large-scale interventions?
Because many interventions aimed at improving health are found to benefit only a small number of people. For each individual who benefits, there are are many more who do not, or even experience negative effects of the intervention.
