Which statement about relative risk interpretation is correct?

• A. True.
• B. False.
• C. It measures absolute risk only.
• D. It measures time to onset.

Answer: (A)

Relative risk is a measure that compares the probability of a health outcome between two groups: those who were exposed to a factor and those who were not. It is the ratio of the risk in the exposed group to the risk in the unexposed group. Interpreting this ratio is straightforward: a value greater than 1 means the exposure is associated with a higher likelihood of the outcome, a value less than 1 means a lower likelihood, and a value of 1 means no difference between the groups. This focus on comparing two risks, rather than stating an absolute amount, is why relative risk is interpreted as a risk ratio.

It does not measure time to onset—that's a different concept tied to time-to-event analysis, such as hazard ratios. It also isn’t defined as measuring absolute risk on its own; while you can report the absolute risks in each group, the relative risk is about the quotient of those risks, not the absolute level by itself. So the statement about relative risk interpretation that emphasizes comparing risks between groups and expressing a ratio is the correct framing.