Correlation and Causation in the News

The first article is written by Krisha McCoy and deals with the link between sleeping and weight.

The author states that there were researches conducted which show that when a person does not sleep enough or the quality of their sleep is poor, they might have problems with obesity. After the author tells us about two different groups being tested, showing their sleeping schedules and tracking their weight gaining and the next part of the article is dedicated to medical reasons of gaining weigh, among them, stating about different hormones and their work in the body. The article is full of different facts and statistics, but the thing that should be really checked is the abstract were the author writes that the sleep is connected with the body weight for two reasons. Krisha McCoy writes about hormones ghrelin and leptin that control appetite. I consider that this information should be checked as usually authors might manipulate with the facts that are highly informative, but the they might be slightly different or not connected so much to the topic discussed. The author provides us with the fact that researches are concerned that growing weight gain and chronical insomnia are really connected.

The author gives a lot of statistical facts to prove the idea, among them telling about two different groups of people that might be counted as an evidence to prove the fact stated. According to Krisha McCoy the first group consisted of 40- to 60-year-old women, the researches were following them for five to seven years, taking into consideration their sleeping pattern and weight. And those who were sleeping bad or waking up suddenly at night really had problems with weigh. The other group consisted of young men who were sleeping eight hours and four hours on two nights in succession. Moreover, the research showed that the men ate much more after sleep-deprived night on the contrary to those nights when they had enough time to sleep.

Here author applies controlled study to show two different groups that are compared and later the outcome of the research is compared. Besides, it is important that the author uses two different sets of one and the same technique. So here, the result is notable. That argument can be quite convincing, as the author provides us with facts about those two groups and the research is conducted during the long period of time what means that the facts should be truthful.

Two absolutely different groups are combined; the author of the article gives a lot of figures and statistics. And usually people believe figures only, that is the reason why Krisha McCoy gives all possible data, among it the number of pounds which old women gain when they sleep bad, or the number of excess calories which one can get having chronical insomnia. Afterwards the author supports the thought providing highly medical information about the work of the human organism. All of the arguments in the article sound very convincing, as the author gives mostly facts and not only her own opinion. If she had given more facts, the article would have sounded too scientific, so it would not have been interesting to random readers, only to those who are proficient in the sphere. However, to my mind, the article lacks thoughts, ideas and words of doctors or researchers themselves.

In this case, it would sound even more trustworthy and the information would look more precise and exact. I think that it actually does not make sense to make changes based on this article only, as it is more a source of advice rather than a medical instruction. This article might help anyone to analyze their lifestyle and suggest people the way for changes. It provides beneficial information to anyone as it covers different age groups and gives valuable information about the work of human organism.

In addition, I doubt that it is proper to trust articles so much as to change the life according to their pieces of advice. In this case, we might conclude that there is causation and correlation between the facts provided in the article, and the problem of extra weight might be cause by bad sleep as t makes sense and is supported by facts. The second article is written by Alice Park and it tells us why going to church can make a person fat. The author uses the results of the research that was condemned by Northwestern University.

It stated that middle-aged adults who are quite religious are more likely to gain additional weigh. They were studying the facts from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults research, which were following 2,400 people from the age of 20 to 32 for 18 years. According to their study, it was stated that those people who went to church or was taking part in church activities leastways once a week were twice as much likely on a contrary to those who do not visit churches to gain more weight. The author shows that the researches noted the connectivity of attending churches and gaining additional weigh, but they failed to analyze whether it is the fact that a person visits a church and gains weight or the fact that people suffering from obesity have more tendency to go to church.

Moreover, the next thing that is suspicious for the author is the fact that the research does not differentiate which of the church activities can be associated with the most obesity. The article is written on the basis of the research conducted in Northwestern University and their study in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study, which were following 2,400 people from the age of 20 to 32 for 18 years. It was reported over the time at an American Heart Association conference that people who visit church or church activities once a week could suffer for obesity. The argument, which is provided by the researches, is that people who attend church have wider social network and it might lead to an opportunity for those people to gain together more often over the food and drink.

This is actually the fact that should be check as people might go to any other places and gain friends and acquaintances there with which they can gather to eat and discuss anything. Here we can see a mere correlation and no causation at all.The argument is not convincing. In addition, the abstract with the information dedicated to proving the information that there is an actual casual relationship is too small to persuade a person. It hardly gives any factual information; it does not provide people with numbers and figures.

The author herself doubts in trustworthy of the study, because she shows that the research was unilateral as there study shows that there is the connection between people going to the church and gaining extra weight and no correlation between the fact that people having problems with obesity go to church more than others do. It is actually the case, when the causality was not even examined by the researchers. These two cases just appeared in close proximity one to another, but it does not mean that one thing was cause by another one. In this case, it does not even make an exact sense. These two facts are connected artificially.

To make the argument more convincing the author should provide the readers with additional information on the topic, and to give more opinions concerning this idea. The whole article is based on only one point of view and one research that is why it is not persuasive enough. In addition, the idea lacks figures and numbers. The topic of the research is narrow and is not yet studied enough; all proofs are based on new study, so the data should be still checked. I consider the article as such that lacks data, so to my mind, it will be absolutely inappropriate to change the lifestyle only because of the article which is rather vague.

I think that the author is quite critical to the facts that she provides in the article, because they are one-sided and not checked enough as the research is new. It is not the case when someone might rely on the information that is given in the article; one should not even take this information as a piece of advice, because the data is weak. The third article is written by Bonnie Rochman, where he states that haaving kids might be bad for one’s health. The author suggests that mothers eat more calories and work out less than those women who do not have children. Article is mostly based on the research conducted by University of Minnesota that followed 838 women and 682 man and they made a conclusion that having babies is particularly bad for moms as they probably lack time to prepare healthier food and to exercise more.

The author provides us with a huge number of different facts; first, she gives us the facts concluded by University of Minnesota, after she cites the words by the leading researcher and an assistant professor in the Family Medicine and Community Health Department at the earlier-mentioned University of Minnesota. The woman provides us not only with the general information on the topic but by the facts of her own life and shares the experience, as she is a mother of 2-year-old and 6-year-old children. After that, Bonnie Rochman gives the information form the journal Pediatrics, which also provided the facts from the study that supports the idea that mothers usually are more likely to get fat, as they eat unhealthy food. All of the facts are very reliable and information in the article looks secure, so the person will probably believe all of the facts provided not even checking them. The argument shows that parents usually gain more calories and exercise less, as they have no time for this.

The next thing is that mothers do not eat healthy food; they are more likely to take more sugary drinks and sweet food. Actually, parents care less about their health because they try more to care about their children and they dedicate all of their free time to children so that they have not time for exercising. For the support, the author uses controlled study, when two groups of women and men were compared, and people and different outcome, what helped to build the problem around one particular group of people, meaning moms. In this case, it helps to show the cause and the actual effect and not to give only a mere correlation of topics.The argument looks very convincing as it is supported by many facts from different sources, among them the research conducted by University of Minnesota, which actually provides us by different figures, the total number of people who were tested.

The author also uses the quotation by the main researcher who is also the mother can provide the information from her own experience. The next source of the information taken for the article is the journal Pediatrics that actually contrasts the figures of the previous years on the contrary to current time. It also gives several main reasons why mothers get fat. The author uses controlled stud of comparing two different groups.

And here we can establish the causation, because the outcome is notable. The argument is convincing enough, because the author used a great many of numerous sources, which provide us with different data on the topic and implementing some pieces of advice how to change the situation. It would also be great to use in the article more practical information, as for example more opinions of other parents and how they cope with the situation, or their own reasons why, as they consider, they are getting fat, or lacking time. It would make the article even more entertaining.

As the article provides people with really secure information, a lot might consider changing their lifestyle according to those pieces of advice, which are provided in the text. Moreover, the information is reliable that is why it can make sense. The tips given in the text are really easy to implement in life, these are the usual thing we do in our life, but we just do not pay attention that it can be easily changed. However, even if someone has children and problems with extra weight, it does not mean that the person should believe that these two things are 100 percent connected.

The professional should check all of the information that is connected with one’s health. In this case, the information provided can explain the reasons and help to find the right solution to the problem.