abandonment
1 Negligent or malicious breaking off of an asymmetrical or dependency relationship, as between physician and patient or between parent(s) and dependent child(ren).2 A philosophical term for absence ...
abatement
Reduction or preferably elimination of public health hazards or nuisances such as environmental pollutants, noxious smells, excessive noise. Abatement is often an important activity in public health ...
abiotic transformation
Literally, a biologically important chemical transformation in the absence of living organisms. An example is formation of stratospheric ozone from oxygen, catalyzed by solar ultraviolet radiation.
aborigines
The indigenous inhabitants of a colonized country. They often have high incidence and prevalence rates of multiple social and health problems and reduced life expectancy when their habitat, culture, ...
abscissa
The horizontal or X axis of a graph; the vertical or Y axis is the ordinate, and the two axes are the Cartesian coordinates.
absolute risk
The probability that a specified event will occur in a specified population, in contrast to the relative risk of the event, which compares absolute risks in different populations.
absolute risk approach
A disease-control method based on the observation that proportional reduction in risk for given absolute reductions in risk factors is independent of the level of the risk factor. For instance, ...
abstinence
Refraining from action, continence, particularly refraining from activities regarded as pleasurable by those who indulge, including sexual activity, drinking alcohol, and smoking. Some groups ...
academic freedom
The right of scholars to study and report on any problem that their curiosity and conscience dictate, without fear of retribution. This right may be infringed when studies are paid for by ...
acceptable risk
A risk that has significantly smaller and/or fewer detrimental consequences than the potential hazards of alternative courses of action. Environmental regulations such as those of the US ...
