The problem is, sometimes relative risk doesn't make sense to use. In those cases, what's often used instead as an estimate of the risk ratio is what's called an odds ratio
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And this is done almost ubiquitously across the board It's not really the media's fault - scientists do it all the time as well!pic.twitter.com/BjxCDlughU
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It's also really hard to tell if the study used risks or odds unless you actually read it, which adds a layer of complexity to the matter
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Honestly, I want to end on a nice easy note, but the fact is that odds are confusing, a lot of researchers get them wrong, and it's unlikely we'll have a solution to this any time soon Hurray!
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Anyway, a reasonable proportions of the headlines you've seen probably overestimate the actual risk because the studies used odds ratios
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End of conversation
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