Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology (CBIC) Practice Exam 2025 – The All-in-One Guide for Exam Success

Relative Risk (RR) is a measure used in epidemiological studies to quantify the association between an exposure (such as a risk factor) and an outcome (such as a disease). Its purpose is to indicate how much more (or less) likely an event (e.g., the development of a disease) is to occur in the exposed group compared to a non-exposed group.

When RR is greater than 1, it suggests that the exposure is associated with a higher risk of the outcome; when RR is less than 1, it indicates that the exposure may be associated with a protective effect against the outcome. An RR of 1 implies no association. This measurement helps researchers and public health professionals determine the strength of the relationship between risk factors and health outcomes, which is crucial for identifying potential interventions.

The other options focus on different aspects of epidemiology and clinical studies. While some may involve comparisons or evaluations, they do not specifically encapsulate the primary objective of RR, which is to assess the strength of association between risk factors and outcomes. Therefore, the correct answer is that RR is fundamentally used to determine how strongly a risk factor is associated with an outcome.