Absolute risk (or AR) is the
probability
Probability is a branch of mathematics and statistics concerning events and numerical descriptions of how likely they are to occur. The probability of an event is a number between 0 and 1; the larger the probability, the more likely an e ...
or chance of an
event. It is usually used for the number of events (such as a disease) that occurred in a group, divided by the number of people in that group.
Absolute risk is one of the most understandable ways of communicating health risks to the general public.
In difference to absolute risk, the
relative risk
The relative risk (RR) or risk ratio is the ratio of the probability of an outcome in an exposed group to the probability of an outcome in an unexposed group. Together with risk difference and odds ratio, relative risk measures the association bet ...
(RR) is the ratio of the probability of an
outcome (probability)
In probability theory, an outcome is a possible result of an Experiment (probability theory), experiment or trial. Each possible outcome of a particular experiment is unique, and different outcomes are Mutually exclusive events, mutually exclusiv ...
in an exposed group to the probability of an outcome in an unexposed group.
See also
*
Absolute risk reduction
*
Relative risk reduction
In epidemiology, the relative risk reduction (RRR) or efficacy is the relative decrease in the risk
In simple terms, risk is the possibility of something bad happening. Risk involves uncertainty about the effects/implications of an activity wit ...
External links
Know Your Chances: Understanding Health Statistics
References
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Medical terminology