crap statistics again

in today's IT yet more misuse of statistics by a lobby group, in this case the public health alliance. the conclusions drawn from the study* by the pha and as reported in the times are not supported by the data, and could only be arrived at by confirmation biases and the correlative fallacy. for example this..

The study by the Public Health Alliance shows factors linked to a person's economic background can put their lives at greater risk.

Children in low-income homes are more likely to be born small with low birth rates, leaving them with poorer health in later life and reduced life expectancy.

Men from the lowest socio-economic groups in Northern Ireland live an average of six-years less than those from wealthier backgrounds. Death rates among people in the lowest occupational class was up to 200 per cent higher than the rate for the highest.

Among those in the lower work classes, the death rate for circulatory diseases was 120 per cent higher, 100 per cent higher for cancers, 200 per cent higher for respiratory disease and over 150 per cent higher for injury or poison-related deaths.

....somehow implies that this requires redistribution by government, and that this will make theses differences disappear.

Given the evidence of the impact of inequality on the health of the population it is clear that in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland any attempt to improve health and address inequalities in health must be rooted in social justice, resulting in a fairer distribution of wealth, as well as provision of appropriate, accessible services provided on the basis of need and not ability to pay".

personally i think the whole premise of the study is bogus. comparing the health statistics between economic classes rather than between jobs and education levels, which determine economic class, seems designed to produce this result, which can be used as a pretext for redistribution.

*this study sounds like a rehash of one that vincent browne talked about last year. also when i was looking for the phas site i came across this one. take a look at the poll....

Do you agree or disagree that:
"The tobacco, alcohol, food and pharmaceutical industries have too much political power and that this is damaging the health of the Irish population"

framing the question anyone?