Attributable Risk Vs Relative Risk

Attributable Risk (AR) refers to the difference in the incidence of a disease between an exposed population and an unexposed population. It quantifies the extent to which a specific risk factor contributes to the overall incidence of a disease, providing insight into the public health impact of that risk factor. By calculating AR, epidemiologists can identify the proportion of disease occurrences that can be attributed to exposure, thereby aiding in the development of targeted interventions and policies aimed at reducing risk factors and improving population health outcomes.

Relative Risk (RR) is a measure used to compare the risk of a certain event or outcome occurring in two different groups, typically an exposed group and an unexposed group. It is calculated by dividing the incidence of the disease in the exposed group by the incidence in the unexposed group. A relative risk greater than 1 indicates that exposure is associated with a higher risk of the outcome, while a value less than 1 suggests a protective effect of the exposure. RR is crucial in epidemiological studies as it helps to determine the strength of the association between exposure and disease.