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("Removing a risk factor from the population breaks a particular strand in the web of causation and thereby prevents some cases of the disease. Also, in the long term, identifying the risk factors for a disease helps researchers piece together the causal process" (Susser E, Schwartz S, Morabia A, Bromet EJ. Psychiatric Epidemiology: Searching for the causes of mental disorders. Oxford University Press, 2006 ; p. 34)