We live in a world where every week a new headline promises that a drug cuts your risk in half or slashes disease by a huge percentage. Sounds impressive. But those numbers often leave out the context that actually matters for your real world health decisions. In public health we talk about absolute risk reduction and relative risk reduction. One keeps the headlines honest. One makes the headlines louder. Most people only see the loud one.
So I made a video in my kitchen with bouncy balls and a few household props to show why a “50 percent reduction” can sometimes mean something very different than you think. Absolute risk reduction tells you how many people are actually helped in the real world. Relative risk reduction tells you how big the reduction looks on paper. Both numbers come from the same data. They just tell very different stories.
If you want to understand health statistics in a way that is simple, visual, and actually fun, watch the video. I hope it helps you interpret health news and help you see the story behind every number. That story is key.
Watch on my Youtube Channel below. You can also watch on my Instagram Channel Here. :)
If this video resonated with you, watch my video on anecdotes here. Anecdotes are another area where everyone, willingly or unwillingly, misrepresents.
If you are strong on anecdotes, than watch my mortality rate vs case fatality rate video here. I use Bird Flu Headlines as a real-life example of how even seasoned health experts confuse the two and then go on TV and misinform the public.
Be sure to subscribe to my Instagram or Youtube or TikTok Channels if you like these types of videos. :) Links below:
Follow Eeks on Instagram here.
Or Facebook here.
Or X.
On Youtube.
Or TikTok.
SUBSCRIBE to her WEEKLY newsletter here! (Now featuring interviews with top experts on health you care about!)