Final answer:
Population-attributable risk or rate quantifies the proportion of disease in a population that can be linked to a specific risk factor and suggests how much disease could be prevented by eliminating it.
Step-by-step explanation:
Population attributable risk (PAR) or attributable rate is a measure used in epidemiology to express the proportion of incidence of disease in the population (total population risk) that can be attributed to a specific risk factor. This measure provides insight into the public health impact of the risk factor and is essential for understanding how many diseases could be prevented if the risk factor were eliminated. The PAR is calculated by considering both the relative risk (RR) associated with the exposure and the prevalence of the exposure in the population. It tells us the proportion of the disease cases in the population that would not occur if the risk factor were removed. This concept is vital in planning and evaluating health interventions and policies aiming to reduce the burden of diseases attributable to certain risk factors.