Taking Apart Bad Science
Today, an article made headlines around the world that was published by The Lancet: Public Health, a side-shoot of the top academic journal at the moment. The article is open access so you can download and read it if you are scientifically minded. I copy-pasted parts of the study to show you the many errors. I incorporate my thoughts here and there, breaking the quotes and bolded particularly important sections I need to talk about.
“Study design and participants
The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study is an ongoing, prospective observational study of cardiovascular risk factors in four US communities (Forsyth County, NC; Jackson, MS; suburbs of Minneapolis, MN; and Washington County, MD), initially consisting of participants aged 45–64 years who were recruited between 1987 and 1989 (Visit 1) Study participants were examined at follow-up visits, with the second visit occurring between 1990 and 1992, the third between 1993 and 1995, the fourth between 1996 and 1998, the fifth between 2011 and 2013, and the sixth between 2016 and 2017…”
Note that this study has six different time frames, each of which is several years apart.
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