Relative risks is a term commonly used in medical research to express the likelihood of an event occurring in one group compared to another. The word "relative" is pronounced /ˈrɛlətɪv/, with a stress on the second syllable, while "risks" is pronounced /rɪsks/, with a short "i" sound and no stress. The spelling of this term follows standard English phonetics, with the letter "e" in "relative" pronounced as a short "e" sound, and the letters "ri" in "risks" pronounced as a short "i" sound.
Relative risks refers to a statistical measure used in epidemiology and biostatistics to evaluate the association between an exposure (such as a risk factor or treatment) and an outcome (such as a disease or adverse event). It quantifies the degree of risk associated with a particular exposure, compared to another group or reference category.
Relative risk is calculated by dividing the risk of an outcome occurring in the exposed group by the risk of the same outcome in the unexposed or reference group. It provides an estimate of the strength and direction of the association between the exposure and the outcome. A relative risk greater than 1 indicates an increased risk, whereas a value less than 1 signifies a reduced risk.
Relative risks allow researchers and public health professionals to assess the impact of risk factors and interventions on the occurrence of diseases or health outcomes. It helps in identifying potential causes of diseases and determining the effectiveness of preventive measures or treatments. Relative risks are often presented with their corresponding confidence intervals, which provide a range of possible values for the true relative risk with a certain level of certainty.
However, it is important to note that relative risk studies alone cannot establish causality, as other confounding factors may influence the observed associations. Therefore, they are typically used in conjunction with other study designs and statistical tools to provide a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between an exposure and an outcome.
The etymology of the word "relative risks" can be broken down into two parts: "relative" and "risks".
The term "relative" comes from the Latin word "relativus", which means "referring or pertaining to something in relation to something else". It is derived from the Latin word "relatus", which means "carried back". In English, "relative" is used to describe something that has a connection or relevance to something else.
The word "risks" is derived from the Old French word "risque", which means "danger" or "peril". The Old French term is further derived from the Italian word "risico", which originally meant "row of uncertain outcome in dice game". Eventually, it developed into a broader meaning of "chance" or "hazard".