AQA · GCSE · Biology
Course version: 8461 · Version from Sept 2018
They can be: • aspects of a person’s lifestyle • substances in the…
Full specification wording
The effect of lifestyle on some non-communicable diseases: They can be: • aspects of a person’s lifestyle • substances in the person’s body or environment.
Risk factors are influences that raise the chance of developing a non-communicable disease, but they are not guarantees.
Checked against the AQA 8461 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 3 of 9
- 3 key terms
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
Risk factors are influences that raise the chance of developing a non-communicable disease, but they are not guarantees. They fall into two broad groups. Lifestyle aspects are the choices and behaviours a person controls, such as diet, exercise, smoking and alcohol intake. Substances in the body or environment are materials the person encounters, such as carcinogens in tobacco smoke, ionising radiation, or chemicals in the air or workplace. For example, a diet high in saturated fat is a lifestyle factor linked to cardiovascular disease, while exposure to ionising radiation is an environmental substance linked to cancer. Identifying which group a factor belongs to helps students explain how disease risk arises and how it might be reduced.
What earns the marks
- State that a risk factor increases the probability of developing a non-communicable disease rather than causing it directly.
- Classify lifestyle factors as aspects of behaviour or choice, giving examples such as poor diet, lack of exercise, smoking or excess alcohol.
- Classify substances in the body or environment as materials encountered, giving examples such as carcinogens, ionising radiation or harmful chemicals.
- Distinguish between factors a person can change and factors present in surroundings or taken into the body.
- Link each named factor to a specific non-communicable disease, such as smoking to lung cancer or obesity to Type 2 diabetes.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Treating every risk factor as a direct cause of disease.
Put it right by saying risk factors increase the chance of disease and may act alongside other factors.
Assuming all risk factors are lifestyle choices.
Put it right by recognising that substances in the body or environment, such as ionising radiation, are not chosen behaviours.
Confusing correlation with causation.
Put it right by stating that an association does not prove that the factor causes the disease.
Exam tips
- Use the wording of the specification to sort factors into the two groups before writing your answer.
- Give one clear example for each group and name the disease it is linked to.
- Avoid saying a risk factor 'gives you' a disease; say it increases the risk or chance.
Try the lesson
The start of the The effect of lifestyle on some non-communicable diseases: They can be: • aspects of a person’s lifestyle • substances in the person’s body or environment. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
Which of these is an aspect of a person's lifestyle that can affect their risk of a non-communicable disease?
Listen
Risk factors are influences that raise the chance of developing a non-communicable disease, but they are not guarantees. They fall into two broad groups. Lifestyle aspects are the choices and behaviours a person controls, such as diet, exercise, smoking and alcohol intake. Substances in the body or environment are materials the person encounters, such as carcinogens in tobacco smoke, ionising radiation, or chemicals in the air or workplace. For example, a diet high in saturated fat is a lifestyle factor linked to cardiovascular disease, while exposure to ionising radiation is an environmental substance linked to cancer. Identifying which group a factor belongs to helps students explain how disease risk arises and how it might be reduced. A strong answer earns marks for these points. State that a risk factor increases the probability of developing a non-communicable disease rather than causing it directly. Classify lifestyle factors as aspects of behaviour or choice, giving examples such as poor diet, lack of exercise, smoking or excess alcohol. Classify substances in the body or environment as materials encountered, giving examples such as carcinogens, ionising radiation or harmful chemicals. Distinguish between factors a person can change and factors present in surroundings or taken into the body. A common slip: Treating every risk factor as a direct cause of disease. Instead, saying risk factors increase the chance of disease and may act alongside other factors. Exam tip: Use the wording of the specification to sort factors into the two groups before writing your answer.
See it
Key words
Say what each word means before you turn the card.
Risk factors
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
Lifestyle aspects
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
Substances in the body or environment
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
See every definition
- Risk factors
- Influences that raise the chance of developing a non-communicable disease, but they are not guarantees.
- Lifestyle aspects
- The choices and behaviours a person controls, such as diet, exercise, smoking and alcohol intake.
- Substances in the body or environment
- Materials the person encounters, such as carcinogens in tobacco smoke, ionising radiation, or chemicals in the air or workplace.
Label the diagram
Some boxes have lost their names. Pick the right name for each number.
1Box 1
2Box 2
3Box 3
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