Reframing the Debate.

The general public is faced with a difficult and perhaps even insurmountable task: find and decipher objective information about health benefits and risks in order to make the right decisions about medical and environmental issues. Why is it so hard? Because, although there are plenty of articles and reports advising people to learn about uncertainty and the differences between absolute and relative risks, there's virtually nothing giving examples of exactly what should be done. The complex technical information is not translated into a straightforward, simple format that presents the uncertainty, risks, and benefits associated with screening tests, environmental risk assessments, and drugs for treating chronic ailments. The public is left to sift through contradictory information to find the most "meaningful" health benefit and risk statistics presented to them by experts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]