What is a cumulative risk?

• A. A single risk that never multiplies
• B. An overall health plan
• C. Related risks that increase in effect with each added risk
• D. A risk that decreases over time

Answer: (C)

Cumulative risk is about how the total chance of harm rises when you’re exposed to multiple risk factors that add up or interact over time. The idea is that related risks don’t just sit there independently; they stack and can even amplify each other. For example, smoking, high blood pressure, and a sedentary lifestyle each raise heart disease risk, and having several of these factors makes the overall risk higher than any one factor alone. The more risks you accumulate, the greater the overall chance of a negative health outcome. The other options describe a single risk, a health plan, or a risk that wanes over time, which don’t reflect this buildup of risk.