Scientific Standards in Epidemiologic Studies of the Menace of Daily Life

Many substances used in daily life, such as coffee, alcohol, and pharmaceutical treatment for hypertension, have been accused of ``menace'' in causing cancer or other major diseases. Although some of the accusations have subsequently been refuted or withdrawn, they have usually been based...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 1988-12, Vol.242 (4883), p.1257-1263
Main Author: Feinstein, Alvan R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alcohol drinking
Alcohols
Biological and medical sciences
Breast cancer
Cancer
Case control studies
Control groups
Cross-sectional studies
Epidemiologic studies
Epidemiological research
Epidemiology
Epidemiology - standards
Experimentation
General aspects
Health outcomes
Human experimentation in medicine
Human medical experimentation
Humans
Longitudinal method
Longitudinal studies
Medical sciences
Observational studies
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
Questionnaires
Research Design
Risk Factors
Self-experimentation in medicine
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Summary:Many substances used in daily life, such as coffee, alcohol, and pharmaceutical treatment for hypertension, have been accused of ``menace'' in causing cancer or other major diseases. Although some of the accusations have subsequently been refuted or withdrawn, they have usually been based on statistical associations in epidemiologic studies that could not be done with the customary experimental methods of science. With these epidemiologic methods, however, the fundamental scientific standards used to specify hypotheses and groups, get high-quality data, analyze attributable actions, and avoid detection bias may also be omitted. Despite peer-review approval, the current methods need substantial improvement to produce trustworthy scientific evidence.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.3057627