Squeezing Statistics
An old joke goes "If you squeeze a statistic hard enough, it will confess to anything" (or said differently, you get what you measure)
I found this article confusing:
The study was from K-8 grades yet the researchers findings are only being reported for 5-8? Why?
The lead on the study says ???Schools only represent a small portion of children???s food environment." This suggests the researchers think the study results less then valid given the variables not taken into account.
"The study indicated that the presence of such foods in schools are not the sole cause for childhood obesity" Was uncovering the "sole cause" the aim of the study?
The article argues against the findings of the study (that eating habits are fixed by middle school) "hoping" that the presence of healthier foods will somehow lead to better eating choices. There is so much more involved in food selection that the suggestion of better choices happening by the presence alone of better food options is wishful thinking at best. A young person's entire environment needs to be addressed daunting as that may seem. There are many good people taking on this issue and the best of them, in terms of results, involve both educating the students AND their families together. A labor/time intensive task indeed!
