SENDING AN IRRESPONSIBLE COMMUNICATION: Dear Friends:
Recently, on the official blog for the CHILDREN's INTERNATIONAL OBESITY FOUNDATION (donate now at http://ciofoundation.blogspot.com/), I commented on a study recently published in the highly exalted NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE, which study concluded, in essence, that (paraphrasing) "persons who spend sufficient time with overweight or obese persons have an increased likelihood of becoming overweight or obese themselves." There is a frightening oversimplification that smaller minds will naturally reduce these results to..."DON'T LET YOUR CHILDREN GO NEAR OVERWEIGHT OR OBESE KIDS, OR THEY WILL "CATCH" IT. OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY ARE CONTAGIOUS DISEASES."
There is a critical distinction between statistical correlation (the observed effect) and causality (what makes the effect happen). If we just state correlation, people may easily arrive at the wrong conclusion. It happens more frequently in communications than not.
The unstated conclusion of the study was really that "WE ARE INFLUENCED BY THE BEHAVIORAL PATTERNS OF THE PEOPLE AROUND US." Going further, someone could point out that, for the benefit of all, that "IF YOU ARE HEALTHY AND ENGAGE IN HEALTHFUL HABITS, YOU CAN INSPIRE THOSE AROUND YOU, BY YOUR EXAMPLE, TO BECOME HEALTHY AS WELL." iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
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Think about what you are really observing (in terms of cause-and-effect); report your conclusions (as well as their inherent limitations or narrow applicability), being aware of the "unsaid inference," which is too frequently negative; state the POSITIVE aspect of what you have found or observed. iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
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We are, each of us, responsible for our communications, and at least partly responsible for how they are likely to be interpreted. iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
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Faithfully,
Douglas Castle
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