Which of the following will INCREASE attenuation of x-rays inside the body?

The correct answer is based on the relationship between kilovolt peak (kVp), the quality of the x-ray beam, and how it interacts with the body's tissues. Decreasing kVp reduces the energy of the x-rays produced during the imaging process. Lower energy x-rays have a higher likelihood of being absorbed by tissues rather than passing through them, which leads to an increase in attenuation.

When kVp is decreased, not only does the overall energy of the x-ray beam drop, but the penetration capability diminishes as well. This means that more x-rays are absorbed by body tissues, resulting in greater attenuation. Adjusting the milliampere-seconds (mAs) to maintain image quality is essential in this scenario, as it compensates for the reduction in x-ray quantity that would occur with a decrease in kVp.

In contrast, the other choices involve either increasing the energy of the x-ray beam or factors that would reduce attenuation. Increasing kVp, increasing the source-to-image distance (SID), or using more added filtration will all lead to a situation where there is less attenuation because the x-rays can penetrate the tissues more effectively. Hence, these actions would not work to increase attenuation.