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That's what drives me crazy about 'findings' like these that we're being presented with, every day. For example when comparing mortality rates of drinkers and
by barking 10y ago
That's what drives me crazy about 'findings' like these that we're being presented with, every day.
For example when comparing mortality rates of drinkers and non-drinkers, the fact that a lot of non-drinkers are former alcoholics with significant health issues is often ignored.
- maxerickson 10y agoDo you have some examples of studies that don't control for previous behavior? Asking about it just seems like such a basic component of the data gathering.
- barking 10y agoYou'd think but apparently not always the case. See this https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-03-21/health-drinking-alcohol-probably-doesn-t-help-you-live-longer https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-03-21/health-dr...
- maxerickson 10y agoIt seems many studies even gather the data and then ignore it (by choosing to lump together former drinkers and life long teetotalers).
- barking 10y agoHaving published research is a required part of the cv for many jobs. There are a lot of researchers out there who view it as a necessary evil. They'd be unlikely to put their heart and soul into it. And that's before you even get to researchers who might have motivations to achieve certain outcomes. Say ones who receive funding from certain industries.