Which of the following is an individual risk factor?

• A. Nutritional Deficits
• B. Physical Trauma
• C. Sleep Disturbances
• D. Infection

Answer: (B)

Understanding risk factors means separating those that come from the person themselves from things in the external environment. An individual risk factor is something about the person that increases their likelihood of adverse outcomes. Physical trauma fits this idea because it’s an injury the person experiences due to their own actions or circumstances, and it directly creates health risks such as tissue damage, pain, immobility, and potential complications. It is tied to the person’s lived experience and behavior, making it an individual factor. By contrast, nutritional deficits and sleep disturbances describe the person’s current state and can influence risk, but they aren’t events or exposures that occur to the person the way an injury does. Infection involves pathogens and exposure rather than a trait or event inherent to the person.