Certified in Public Health (CPH) 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

The correct choice illustrates a relative risk of 10.1 for lung cancer among smokers compared to non-smokers. Relative risk is a measure used to compare the risk of a certain event (in this case, dying from lung cancer) occurring in two different groups. In this context, it indicates that smokers are 10.1 times more likely to die from lung cancer compared to non-smokers.

Understanding relative risk is crucial in epidemiology, as it provides insight into the strength of the association between a risk factor — in this case, smoking — and an adverse outcome. A relative risk greater than 1 indicates an increased risk, affirming that smoking significantly heightens the likelihood of lung cancer mortality.

Additionally, the provision of the lower relative risk figures concerning coronary thrombosis highlights the distinct impact of smoking on different health conditions, reinforcing the idea that while smoking adversely affects multiple health outcomes, its effect is most pronounced in the context of lung cancer in this scenario.

This understanding contributes to public health initiatives aimed at reducing smoking rates and thereby decreasing lung cancer cases.