Hmmm, come the revolution, we might need to behead journalists
shortly after politicians and bankers.
Might exposure to airborne substances outside contribute to asthma?
http://personal.ecu.edu/wuenschk/dust.htm
Cheers,
Karl W.
________________________________
From: Christopher D. Green [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Monday, March 02, 2009 8:50 PM
To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)
Subject: [tips] Children who spend hours in front of TV are prone to asthma |
Science | guardian.co.uk
Here's another badly reported correlational study.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/mar/03/asthma-television-tv-children
In the third paragraph, they 'fess up that "The greater risk of asthma was not
directly caused by watching television, which was used only as an indicator of
how sedentary the children's lifestyles were."
But that is only after, in the first paragraph, having claimed that "Children
who spend hours in front of the television are at greater risk of developing
asthma than those who are more active, a study has found."
I wonder how many parents wouldn't be inclined to send their kids out to play
after reading that. (I wonder if there are stats on how far the average reader
reads into the average news article.)
In any case, I have a bet to make. I bet that the correlation is largely the
result of a causal connection that runs exactly the other way from that implied
by the article: kids with asthma are less inclined to engage in high-energy
activities and so, among other "quiet" activities, watch more TV.
Pre-emptive Disclaimer: I am NOT saying that sedentary lifestyles are just as
healthy as active ones. That would be foolish (a state that I try mightily to
avoid, though admittedly not with total success). I am saying only that given
the choice between "TV watching causes asthma" and "Asthma causes more TV
watching," I vote for the latter.
Chris
--
Christopher D. Green
Department of Psychology
York University
Toronto, ON M3J 1P3
Canada
416-736-2100 ex. 66164
[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
http://www.yorku.ca/christo/
==========================
---
To make changes to your subscription contact:
Bill Southerly ([email protected])
---
To make changes to your subscription contact:
Bill Southerly ([email protected])
