Protective factors, on the other hand, are those factors which have been shown to insulate individuals from developing a disease or health condition. Risk factors may include exposure to diseases, environmental risks, certain health behaviors, personal and family history, nutritional status, and participation in exercise. Risk factors play an important role in birth outcomes.
Unborn children are particularly vulnerable to the adverse impacts of exposure to risk factors.
Mothers' behavior during the prenatal period have been shown to be related to infant mortality. Smoking and alcohol use, for example, are two commonly studied behavioral risk factors for adverse birth outcomes. 25 Risks related to infant mortality include health and behaviors, infant's weight and number of weeks gestation at birth, presence of birth defects and home environment. The table below shows some risk factors for infant mortality. Birthweight often predicts infant survival and health.