I'm not falling for that. Physicians invest their money in these companies with no conflict of interest requirements. By exploring the causes of a problem from categorized perspectives, solutions can be found out faster. Finally, advocating acceptance is not encouraging people to be any size. Health at Every Size means not paying attention to size, but to health. Many people would be surprised to find out how lacking the literature is when it comes to studying the effects of weight loss on individuals. Either way, helping students understand cause and effect relationships within psychology can be a helpful place to start. Presenteeism makes up the largest share of those costs. If this is really about health and not bigotry, then what is the problem? It's bad feelings that lead to diabetes, heart disease, etc.? See Also: This is totally absurd. These two facts weakens the otherwise strong case for cause and effect. Barbarroja et al. If health is the goal, then what is the problem? The investigators observed similar patterns of risk even after accounting for differences in alcohol consumption, physical activity, and education level. One study is interesting, two studies, nice. Results were broadly similar for men. If you really want to show that you care, then consider the following review of studies like the one you cited: http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/293/15/1861.full. I never said all diet advocates hated me or fat people. Promoting all aspects of health and well-being for people of all sizes. We need to look at disease as a complex process and start focusing on promoting a comprehensive wellness that does not simply address one factor. It is common to find obese people -- even morbidly obese people -- who are healthier than their condition would normally allow. Is this just a coincidence? Studies that look at an effect and seek the cause; ask many questions and then compare the answers through correlational analysis Tests Procedures used to measure attributes of individuals at a particular time and place; results can be used for correlational analysis or for generating ideas for other research Didn't we answer these questions already with the end of Jim Crow laws? A considerable amount of psychological research uses the experimental method. Missing research is just as important in understanding phenomena as critiquing existing research. The reason that this prediction is not causation is because it doesn't meet criteria #3, which is there is an alternative explanation for the predictive relationship: the summer heat -- which leads people to open pools and leads people to eat more ice cream. ", "Obesity Is Heart Disease Killer in Its Own Right, Irrespective of Other Risk Factors This is called an ecological fallacy. For example, using different schools is one idea, but this can lead to other internal validity issues, especially because the participant groups cannot be randomized. 5. Each method has advantages and disadvantages that make it suitable for certain situations and unsuitable for others. Okay, but were there costs in other areas of your life? The case study method is widely used in professional training. So it seems that inflation could, at least partially, be … Women categorized as obese or severely obese had a dramatically higher risk of death. 5. Exactly who decides this? The world of information would be a lot better off if people thought before they spoke (especially on the web). --------------------------------------------------------------------------------. Why are so many people drawn to conspiracy theories in times of crisis? 4. It happens every summer like clock work. This will skew the results and mask the effects of the entire experiment. This doesn't even begin to address problems outside the United States. I can predict effectively that when swimming pools open for the summer season, ice cream sales increase. ", http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=cause+and+effect+vs+risk+factor. Exactly where are all these costs coming from? Science must evolve and adapt and be willing to grow and change, it needs to be willing to reject its premise. Which one of these studies took into account the stigmatization of fat persons, their dieting histories, their socioeconomic levels and other factors that might contribute and/or explain these correlations? What is the only research method that would allow us to draw a cause-and-effect (causal) conclusion or connection b/w two variables (independent vs. dependent variable)? When I read a study, I think about it then I relate it to the thousands and thousands of studies out there and try to put it into perspective. When we see a reduction in obesity and a reduction in various biomarkers generally known to be causative of diseases, we can't say that it was simply the loss of adipose that did that, it could have been all of the dietary and lifestyle changes that produced the loss of adipose, or it could even be the lower calorie diet ameliorating markers like high blood glucose. Professor Peter Shepherd, Chair of the Editorial Board of the Biochemical Journal, said: "This is a very interesting finding and provides important clues as to why some obese people go on to become diabetic while others do not. I have not deny that these correlations exist, nor do I know of any scholar in HAES circles. But again you confuse correlation with causation. If the groups are selected from different socio-economic backgrounds, or one has a much better teacher, this can skew the results. You adopted a HAES approach when you cleaned up your nutrition act. here are the Basic Principles of Health At Every Size: 1. Where are studies suggesting that the obese CAN exercise regularly while staying obese and not injure themselves, much less that such exercise will contravene the effects demonstarted in study after study? We need to follow the evidence the best that we can and try to draw meaningful conclusions when we can, but not at the expense of good science and meaningful and relevant applications. None of us have the time to sort through all this. The introduction should exhibit the actual event in the question. ....". Instead, the underlying assumption is that it is "obvious" that therefore people need to control their weight. Great summary for anyone who still does not understand the difference. Three studies, intriguing. The correlation is real, but the reason behind the correlation is not clear and needs further research. " I'm glad you found something that worked for you and that you are concentrating on health not weight loss. An introduction, a body and a conclusion structure is required for your essay. I hope readers here will review them, especially in light of the points I've raised in my blog post, because these are exactly the kinds of studies that get cited as definitive "proof" that weight control and weight loss are good practices. I can't put my finger on the reference but I know I read somewhere that in the 1990s either the CDC or the NIH just decided that the top 15 percentile of kids in a given age group were "overweight," with a small top percentile being defined as obese. Public Health I am not saying this is a fact or that it is the right explanation, but it is an alternative explanation with some currency in research and therefore should be considered when looking at this study. This is where another event actually caused the effect noticed, rather than your treatment or manipulation. Gut-level emotional responses can even be useful, if they lead to real critique and questioning instead of knee jerk responses. I am so tired of reading about how the newest study proves X. I learned a lot from your post, Pattie. Do you get the implications of your statement "society has a right to impose costs on the exercise of civil rights"? 3. I often hear obesity research compared to smoking research. ScienceDaily (Feb. 14, 2011) — Obesity is a killer in its own right, irrespective of other biological or social risk factors traditionally associated with coronary heart disease, suggests research published online in Heart. Likewise, there is a big difference between saying sugar causes diabetes (which is false) and saying that empty calories like sugar may contribute to obesity in some individuals which may contribute to the development of diabetes in individuals who are genetically pre-disposed which is what the general consensus seems to be. Check out our quiz-page with tests about: Martyn Shuttleworth (Sep 20, 2009). This is not to underscore the effect that unhealthy behaviors and/or obesity may have on our health, simply to foster a sensitivity to the complex issues we face and ask people to apply some common sense when making sweeping generalizations and branding assumptions. Thanks for laying out the science so clearly. I can pull up a whole list of research articles to support it. eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'explorable_com-box-4','ezslot_1',262,'0','0']));The key principle of establishing cause and effect is proving that the effects seen in the experiment happened after the cause. I mean obesity has been linked to many of these diseases for years, yet it is increasing. Overweight Other studies reported in the journal show that obesity appears particularly threatening in the presence of other health problems, such as poor muscle strength and depression. And, don't confuse the differnce between proof that losing weight helps with proof that getting obese in the first place is unhealthy. But people are people no matter how good or bad they are. Descriptive or Correlational Research Methods Case studies, surveys, naturalistic observation, and laboratory observation are examples of descriptive or correlational research methods . I try (not always successfully) to talk about bigotry as a behavior not a personal characteristic. I hear that loud and clear and I want to see everyone take that into account. A paramount aspect of the study was our ability to minimize the impact of these factors by excluding those participants from the analysis.". Experiments on causal relationships investigate the effect of one or more variables on one or more outcome variables. Come on, be serious. ScienceDaily (Mar. Here's a good discussion of the problems with obesity research, including discussing the implications of the JAMA article: http://www.healthyweightnetwork.com/cntrovsy.htm#controvsy.htm, ================================================. thanks Shaun. I didn't feel it. Thus, results are affected by the precision and bias in relative risk estimates. I long for a day when "diet" means the composition of what we eat and not "way to lose weight." Indeed, as you may know, there is a national registry of people who have lost and kept off substantial amounts of fat. A simple experiment utilizes a control group of participants who receive no treatment and an experimental … Key Terms. In short, obesity shortens life and ther longer one is obese, the shorter the life span.. Four, okay, now maybe we need to think about this. I honestly don't care how much anyone weighs- that's their business and I don't make any judgments about them, their health or anything else. Take it with you wherever you go. Your points are all correct and it seems to me that many people are already married to various ideas to the point that they will disregard important points simply because they disagree with one of the messages of the writer, and thus they still make the same errors that they were before they read the article. Okay, great, that's a wonderful place to start. All of society pays for the obesity of the obese. This project has received funding from the, Select from one of the other courses available, Creative Commons-License Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0), Experimental Research - A Guide to Scientific Experiments, Confounding Variables / Third Variables - Common pitfalls in research, Internal Validity - The Confidence in the Cause-Effect Relationship, Pretest-Posttest Designs - Experimental Research, Quantitative Research Design - Proving Cause and Effect, European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. It's bigotry wrapped up in pretty clothing. Years of life lost due to obesity. Well said and worth a lot more than 25 cents. The damaging effects of large amounts of fructose, processed foods, processed oils are now beginning to be seriously looked at as potential causes of type II diabetes, heart disease and cancers. It didn't hurt me." On a graph, a negative correlation will have a negative slope. You didn't see the study of years of obesity and risk? It is time to discuss causality. Do we know the genetic composition of those who died young and is there a difference from those who didn't? ScienceDaily (Dec. 2, 2010) — A study looking at deaths from any cause found that a body mass index (BMI) between 20.0 and 24.9 is associated with the lowest risk of death in healthy non-smoking adults. Yes, studying cells and chemical reactions in human bodies is easier than studying behavior, but there are still problems, given the extent to which human contact with the environment and the human aging process changes those chemical and biological processes constantly. Now go back and re-read her article slowly and totally, and maybe you will understand it better. Germs, dna and environmental conditions affect our bodies. you claim these health effects came about due to "stigmatization"? The research team included investigators from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and collaborators from a dozen other major research institutions worldwide. This is the first study to quantify the total value of lost job productivity as a result of health problems, which it finds is more costly than medical expenditures. It's tricky in reporting. Even if I concede that weight loss might help alleviate these early deaths and comorbidities, exactly what do you propose fat people do about this? But after this decision was made, those working with childhood obesity conveniently forgot all these problems of measurement and started just talking about prevalence like they had hard data. "Childhood obesity is on the rise." Participants are randomly allocated to each independent variable group. Were they arrived at with good data? How Well Can Dog Owners Predict Their Dog's Behavior? It really does. No such parallel exists with weight loss. What concerns me most though is that you have stated that it isn't a civil rights issue because it is about behavior. All you doi is take all the evidence of the harmful effects of obesity and find fault with them. It differs from non-experimental methods in that it involves the deliberate manipulation of one variable, while trying to keep all other variables constant. Promoting individually appropriate, enjoyable, life-enhancing physical activity, rather than exercise that is focused on a goal of weight loss. Archaeology, economics and market research are other areas where cause and effect is important, so should provide some excellent examples of how to establish cause and effect. "They found that healthy women who had never smoked and who were overweight were 13 percent more likely to die during the study follow-up period than those with a BMI between 22.5 and 24.9. The main method for cause-effect research is experimentation. Just don't have the rest of us pay for you. Only an experiment can establish cause and effect. The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly. It is what it always has been. I think (but might be wrong) that what you've experience on HAES boards is that many of the people there do not want to have any kind of diet talk because of past abuse and personal histories. Is there a factor that was misused or invalid? Writing cause and effect essays about psychology involves pinpointing one or more causes of a particular concept or phenomenon, then analyzing the effects they have.