Lifestyle & Non-Communicable Disease Flashcards

All 8 cards in this deck

What is a non-communicable disease?

A disease that cannot be passed from person to person, caused by the interaction of several factors such as genes, lifestyle and environment.

What is the equation for BMI?

$\text{BMI} = \dfrac{\text{mass (kg)}}{(\text{height (m)})^2}$ — a BMI of 30 or more is classed as obese.

How do diet and exercise lead to obesity?

If energy taken in as food is greater than energy used in respiration/exercise, the excess is stored as fat and body mass increases.

How does drinking too much alcohol affect the liver?

The liver breaks down alcohol, and the toxic products damage liver cells, causing scar tissue (cirrhosis) and liver disease.

True or false? A strong correlation between a lifestyle factor and a disease proves that the factor causes the disease.

False. Correlation only shows a link; other factors may be responsible, so further evidence is needed to show cause.

True or false? Most non-communicable diseases are caused by several risk factors interacting, rather than by one single cause.

True. e.g. cardiovascular disease risk depends on diet, exercise, smoking and inherited factors together.

What are the steps to calculate and interpret a waist : hip ratio?

e.g. a woman with a waist of 80 cm and hips of 100 cm

1. Measure waist and hip circumference in the same units: waist $= 80$ cm, hips $= 100$ cm
2. Divide waist by hip: $80 \div 100 = 0.8$
3. Compare with the table of values: $0.8$ is below $0.85$, so this is a healthy ratio for a woman (low risk of obesity-related disease).

What does a high waist : hip ratio indicate?

A lot of fat stored around the abdomen, which means a higher risk of obesity-related diseases such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.