Reasons for association 1 Flashcards
What are the components for Bradford Hill’s criteria for assessing causation
Strength Consistency Specificity Temporality Biological gradient Plausibility Coherence Experiment Analogy
What is strength
How strong is the association between the cause and the effect
What is consistency
Almost every study should support the association for there to be causation
What is specificity
e.g. HIV has high specificity for causing AIDS
what is temporality
Does ‘cause’ come before the disease? If comes after, can’t be the cause
What is biological gradient
A little exposure should result in a little effect
What is plausibility
Must have biological plausibility
What is coherence
Should not conflict with generally well known facts or natural history and biology of disease
What is analogy
e.g. if one virus can cause a disease then a second virus can be responsible for a similar disease
