Data & Lifestyle Factors (AQA GCSE Biology): Revision Note

Sampling, translating & interpreting data

• Sampling allows researchers to infer (deduce/conclude) information about a population without having to investigate every individual, which would be time-consuming and essentially impossible to do accurately

• Scientists sample populations to determine risk factors for different diseases and inform public health policy

  • For example: sampling individuals with type 2 diabetes and identifying patterns or similarities in their lifestyle and health condition allows scientists to deduce that obesity and a diet high in sugar and fat are risk factors for developing this condition (as these factors are found in most individuals who develop type 2 diabetes)

• Scientists present their findings in graphical and numerical forms to identify if there are relationships between risk factors and certain diseases

• Scatter diagrams are used to identify correlations between two variables to determine if a factor (such as obesity) does increase the risk of developing a disease (such as type 2 diabetes)

Lifestyle factors & non-communicable disease

• Lifestyle factors such as diet, alcohol consumption and choosing to smoke have a big impact on the incidence of non-communicable diseases at all levels in society, from the individual to the national and global level

• Some lifestyle factors are associated with increased likelihood of individuals within a population suffering from non-communicable disease

  • A non-communicable disease is not caused by a pathogen and tends to have longer-lasting effects on the health of an individual (usually they get progressively worse over time)

• A causal mechanism has been proven for some risk factors, but not in others

Smoking as an example

• An individual who smokes cigarettes is far more likely to suffer lung cancer than an individual who does not

• Treatment for cancer includes surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy – all of these require hospitalisation and access to the right medication

• Hospitalisation utilises healthcare capacity and medicinal drugs – costing time and money at both a local and national level (and a personal level if healthcare is self-funded)

• The individual with lung cancer may not be able to work whilst receiving treatment, and this reduces their income, and loss of work can have a profound effect on mental health

• Nationally, the inability of individuals to work can affect a country's economy