Description
Book SynopsisEvery day we are bombarded by television ads, public service announcements, and media reports warning of dire risks to our health and offering solutions to help us lower those risks. This book intends to help consumers sort through this daily barrage by teaching them how to interpret the numbers behind the messages.
Trade Review"Short and simple... Present(s) the basic skills necessary in navigating today's confusing health-media landscape. " Library Journal " Delightful and educational reading, simple enough for laypeople to understand yet academic enough to meet the needs of ... students." -- L. Synovitz Choice "Know Your Chances is an accessible and empowering text." Journal Of Biosocial Science "A great reminder that ... medical claims should always be evaluated by how they affect you and your current state of health." Tampa Tribune "A great reminder that ... medical claims should always be evaluated by how they affect you and your current state of health." Highlands Today "Read this book first and then think again." Time Magazine
Table of ContentsWhat This Book Is About PART ONE. WHAT IS MY RISK? 1. Understanding Risk 2. Putting Risk in Perspective 3. Risk Charts: A Way to Get Perspective PART TWO. CAN I REDUCE MY RISK? 4. Judging the Benefit of a Health Intervention 5. Not All Benefits Are Equal: Understand the Outcome PART THREE. DOES RISK REDUCTION HAVE DOWNSIDES? 6. Consider the Downsides 7. Do the Benefits Outweigh the Downsides? PART FOUR. DEVELOPING A HEALTHY SKEPTICISM 8. Beware of Exaggerated Importance 9. Beware of Exaggerated Certainty 10. Who's Behind the Numbers? EXTRA HELP Quick Summary Glossary Number Converter Risk Charts Credible Sources of Health Statistics Notes Index
