Chronic Disease Risk Factors - Canada.ca (2024)

What are the Primary Risk Factors?

According to the World Health Report 2010, the major risk factors include:

  • tobacco use
  • the harmful use of alcohol
  • raised blood pressure (or hypertension)
  • physical inactivity
  • raised cholesterol
  • overweight/obesity
  • unhealthy diet
  • raised blood glucose

In individuals, we can classify the risks factors as follows:

  • Background risk factors, such as age, sex, level of education and genetic composition;
  • Behavioural risk factors, such as tobacco use, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity; and
  • Intermediate risk factors, such as elevated blood lipids, diabetes, high blood pressure and overweight/obesity.

In communities, the main factors that can impact health include:

  • Social and economic conditions, such as poverty, employment and family composition;
  • Environment, such as climate or air pollution;
  • Culture, such as practices, norms and values; and
  • Urbanization, which influences housing, access to products and services.

The following graph depicts the relationship between risk factors, conditions and common disease end-points:

Chronic diseases share common risk factors and conditions. While some risk factors, such as our age, sex, and our genetic make-up, cannot be changed, many behavioural risk factors can be modified, as well as a number of intermediate biological factors including high blood pressure, being overweight or obese, elevated blood lipids, and pre-diabetes. Societal, economic, and physical conditions influence and shape behaviour and indirectly affect other biological factors. The recognition of these common risk factors and conditions is the conceptual basis for an integrated approach to chronic disease.

More Chronic Disease Risk Factors

Chronic Disease Risk Factors - Canada.ca (2024)

FAQs

Chronic Disease Risk Factors - Canada.ca? ›

Similar to what the 2016 Report indicated, except for tobacco smoking, Canada continues to have high prevalence of modifiable risk factors associated with chronic diseases [physical inactivity (62.4% for children and youth and 82.5% for adults), unhealthy eating (70.0% for Canadians 12+ years) and harmful use of ...

What are the 3 leading risk factors for disease burden in Canada? ›

Similar to what the 2016 Report indicated, except for tobacco smoking, Canada continues to have high prevalence of modifiable risk factors associated with chronic diseases [physical inactivity (62.4% for children and youth and 82.5% for adults), unhealthy eating (70.0% for Canadians 12+ years) and harmful use of ...

What are the major risk factors for chronic diseases? ›

Chronic diseases are the leading cause of illness, disability, and death in America. Most chronic diseases are caused by a short list of risk factors: smoking, poor nutrition, physical inactivity, and excessive alcohol use.

What are the seven 7 most common chronic diseases in Canada? ›

Prevalence of the most common chronic diseases and conditions:
  • Hypertension 65.7%
  • Periodontal disease 52.0% ...
  • Osteoarthritis 38.0%
  • Ischemic heart disease 27.0%
  • Diabetes 26.8%
  • Osteoporosis 25.1%
  • Cancer 21.5% ...
  • COPD 20.2%
Dec 24, 2020

What causes chronic illness? ›

Many chronic diseases are linked to lifestyle choices that are within your own hands to change. Eating nutritious foods, becoming more physically active and avoiding tobacco can help keep you from developing many of these diseases and conditions.

What are the top 3 diseases in Canada? ›

In Canada, four in five Canadian adults have at least one modifiable risk factor, and one in five live with at least one of the following major chronic diseases: CVD, cancer, CRD and diabetes. Two-thirds of all deaths each year are caused by these major chronic diseases.

What is the burden of chronic diseases in Canada? ›

In Canada, chronic diseases account for 89% of all deaths and more than $80 billion in annual health care costs. Adopting healthy lifestyle behaviours, such as healthy eating, has the potential to prevent 80% of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, 40% of cancers, and other chronic diseases.

What is the biggest risk factor for chronic pain? ›

Experiencing stress: Studies have shown that chronic pain is connected to both frequent stress and post-traumatic stress disorder. Smoking: If you smoke, you're at greater risk for developing medical conditions that lead to a need for chronic pain treatment.

What are the 4 main lifestyle factors that lead to chronic disease? ›

Many chronic diseases (including coronary heart disease, cancer and diabetes) share common lifestyle risk factors such as: physical inactivity • poor nutrition • smoking • risky alcohol consumption.

What are the four risk factors for chronic diseases select the four main modifiable risk factors? ›

alcohol consumption. excess body weight (overweight and obesity) physical activity. healthy eating.

What is the deadliest chronic disease? ›

Heart Disease:

It is the leading cause of death globally. Some of the common heart diseases are Coronary artery disease, Heart failure, Arrhythmia, etc. They usually develop when there's some heart damage, genetic and age factors, and due to an unhealthy lifestyle.

What is the #1 chronic disease? ›

Number 1: Hypertension (high blood pressure)

The danger of hypertension is not only that you can have it for years and not know it, but it can cause other serious health conditions, like stroke and heart attacks. Steps you can take to prevent or reduce high blood pressure: Maintaina healthy weight.

What is the chronic diseases in Canada journal? ›

Chronic Diseases in Canada (CDIC) is a quarterly scientific journal focussing on current evidence relevant to the control and prevention of chronic (i.e. non-communicable) diseases and injuries in Canada.

What are risk factors for chronic disease? ›

Chronic Disease Risk Factors
  • tobacco use.
  • the harmful use of alcohol.
  • raised blood pressure (or hypertension)
  • physical inactivity.
  • raised cholesterol.
  • overweight/obesity.
  • unhealthy diet.
  • raised blood glucose.
Jan 12, 2024

What is the primary risk factor? ›

A primary risk factor(causative factor)associated with the level of health problem:i.e., the level of the determinant influences the level of the health problem.

What is the most common chronic disease in older adults? ›

Some 79 percent of people age 70 and older have at least one of seven potentially disabling chronic conditions (arthritis, hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, respiratory diseases, stroke, and cancer).

What are the 3 risk factors of disease? ›

Risk Factors in Health and Disease
  • Behavioural.
  • Physiological.
  • Demographic.
  • Environmental.
  • Genetic.

What is the largest contributor to disease burden in Canada? ›

Interpretation: Metabolic and behavioural risk factors, including modifiable factors such as tobacco use and diet, remain the leading risk factors contributing to the burden of diseases and injuries in Canada.

What are the 3 factors responsible for the spread of disease? ›

Water, sanitation, food and air quality are vital elements in the transmission of communicable diseases and in the spread of diseases prone to cause epidemics.

What are the three 3 major factors affecting health? ›

The determinants of health include:
  • the social and economic environment,
  • the physical environment, and.
  • the person's individual characteristics and behaviours.
Feb 3, 2017

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