Quiz 3, Module Causal
3. Attorney General Mike Broomberg asks you if you think that watching television is "a cause" of early smoking initiation. You think back to your Principles of Epidemiology class and recall that epidemiologists have a fairly distinct definition of "cause." Which of the following statements best describes the hypothesized causal link between television viewing and smoking initiation?
- All individuals with long hours of television viewing during childhood will go on to start smoking early in adolescence.
- All individuals who initiate smoking early on in childhood would have been exposed to substantial television viewing during childhood.
- Individuals who watch substantial amounts of television early on in childhood are more likely to initiate smoking early, compared with those individuals who watch television less frequently during childhood.
Answer (a) —
incorrect:
While this is a description of a sufficient cause of disease, the article cited by the Attorney General does not claim that everyone who watches television will initiate smoking.
Answer (b) —
incorrect:
This is a description of a necessary cause of disease. The article cited by the Attorney General does not claim that television viewing is required for individuals to initiate smoking.
Answer (c) —
correct:
This statement allows for a "multicausal" theory of causation. While television watching is neither necessary nor sufficient, it is still hypothesized to be a cause.
