Perception of risks and energy budgets + Obesity indicators

Question 1

What is a risk and what is the difference between an individual’s perception of risk and actual risk

Answer 1

-Risk is the probability or chance of a harmful event occuring
-Individual’s perceptions of a risk are often different to actual risk (over estimation and underestimation)

Question 2

Overestimation of risks

Answer 2

-An individual can overestimate the risk of an event becuase of factors such as:
-Misleading information in the media
-Personal experience of risk associated with the event
-Unfamiliarity with the event
-The event causing severe harm
-Lack of enjoyment of the event

Question 3

Underestimation of risks

Answer 3

-An individual can underestimate the risk of an event because of factors such as:
-Lack of information about the event
-Lack of personal experience of risk associated with the event
-Unfamiliarity with the event
-Enjoyment of the event
-Harm from event is non-immediate

Question 4

Energy balance and how it influences weight gain/loss

Answer 4

-Energy balance is the balance of calories consumed through food and drink compared to the calories burned through physical activity
WEIGHT LOSS
-If a greater number of calories are burned through physical activity than consumed through food and drink, it will lead to weight loss
WEIGHT GAIN
-If a fewer number of calories are burned compared to consumed then it will lead to weight gain

Question 5

Ways of calculating if an individual is overweight, underweight or a healthy weight

Answer 5

-Body mass index (BMI) is calculated : weight in kg/ height in meters squared
-A BMI of less than 18.5 indicates that someone is underweight, while a BMI of over 30 indicates that someone is obese
-Waist-hip ratio: Waist-to-hip ratio measures the distribution of fat on an individual and can be used to determine an individual’s risk of CVD; a higher waist-to-hip ratio e.g 1 indicates more abdominal fat, which is strongly linked to CVD

Question 6

Waist to hip ratio calculation

Answer 6

Waist to hip ratio = circumference of the waist (cm)/ circumference of the hips (cm)
Women should have a waist to hip ratio of less than 0.86
-Men should have a waist-to-hip ratio of less than 1.0

Question 7

How to prevent CVD using indicators (diet)

Answer 7

-High levels of saturated fats indicates a higher risk of developing CVD
-Individuals can monitor this by looking at food labels, which contain traffic light warning levels that indicate if there are higher sugar levels, salt levels, or higher levels of saturated fats
-Obesity also indicates a higher risk of CVD
-Obesity levels can be regulated and measured via a range of numerical tests e.g BMI and waist to hip ratio

Question 8

How to prevent CVD using indicators (smoking)

Answer 8

-Smoking has been linked to an increased risk of CVD
-Use of health warnings on packets
-TV and media portray it in a bad light

Question 9

How to prevent CVD using indicators (exercise)

Answer 9

-Living a sedentary lifestyle has been linked to an increased risk of CVD
-There are campaigns and initiatives to encourage people to exercise
-Increased hours of physical education in schools