Which of the following is a risk factor for disease related to preventative care?

• A. Unsafe sex.
• B. Very low heart rate.
• C. High stress levels.
• D. Lack of immunizations.

Answer: (D)

Preventative care focuses on stopping disease before it starts through vaccines, screenings, and counseling. When immunizations are not received, the body loses protection against preventable infections, increasing the risk of illness and outbreaks that preventive services are designed to prevent. The other factors listed relate to health risks or physiological states, but they are not direct indicators of a failure to engage in preventive care. Unsafe sex raises risk for sexually transmitted infections and is addressed by preventive counseling and protection strategies, while a very low heart rate and high stress levels are health conditions or states that require management but don’t specifically reflect a lack of preventive immunization. So, lacking immunizations is the clearest risk factor tied to preventive care.