ysabella
Thu, Jan-04-07, 18:51
So first, a European epidemiological study on physical activity and breast cancer in women was done, and the results published (PDF of study (http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/cgi/rapidpdf/1055-9965.EPI-06-0582v1.pdf)). Moderate physical activity was found to correlate with lower incidence of breast cancer.
Note this section where they defined types of physical activity:
Data on current occupational activity included employment status and the level of physical activity done at work (nonworker, sedentary, standing, manual, heavy manual, and unknown). Information on the frequency and duration of nonoccupational physical activity during the past year included housework (such as cleaning, washing, cooking, child care, etc.), home repair (do-it-yourself activities), gardening, stair climbing, and recreational activities
(walking, cycling, and all other sports combined as done in winter and summer separately) and vigorous physical activity. Housework, home repair, gardening, and stair climbing were combined to obtain an overall estimate of
household activity. Walking (including walking to work, shopping, and leisure time), cycling (including cycling to work, shopping, and leisure time), and sports activities were combined to derive overall recreational activity.
Then, the media picked it up. I think maybe the BBC was first:
Housework cuts breast cancer risk (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6214655.stm)! :rolleyes:
Just do a Google News search on "housework breast cancer" and you'll see how many news sites picked this up. Everyone was so happy to run that headline and dig out a stock photo of a woman with a barely-concealed breast.
Then it went on to blogs - and a lot of misogynists and people who think women should be in the kitchen had to get their little digs in. Rush Limbaugh (http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_010307/content/cutting_edge.guest.html), for example.
Great deconstruction of the whole thing at Orac's blog Respectful Insolence (http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2007/01/obviously_a_male_conspiracy_is_at_work.php#more), which is where I read about it. Orac is a cancer specialist, and he knows how to read a study; he concludes that it's not frightfully significant.
So really, it's not a exciting or important study, it's not really news, and now it's been splattered all over as "Housework reduces breast cancer!"
Well done, media. http://www.crunchlite.com/boards/images/smilies/sarcasticclap.gif
Note this section where they defined types of physical activity:
Data on current occupational activity included employment status and the level of physical activity done at work (nonworker, sedentary, standing, manual, heavy manual, and unknown). Information on the frequency and duration of nonoccupational physical activity during the past year included housework (such as cleaning, washing, cooking, child care, etc.), home repair (do-it-yourself activities), gardening, stair climbing, and recreational activities
(walking, cycling, and all other sports combined as done in winter and summer separately) and vigorous physical activity. Housework, home repair, gardening, and stair climbing were combined to obtain an overall estimate of
household activity. Walking (including walking to work, shopping, and leisure time), cycling (including cycling to work, shopping, and leisure time), and sports activities were combined to derive overall recreational activity.
Then, the media picked it up. I think maybe the BBC was first:
Housework cuts breast cancer risk (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6214655.stm)! :rolleyes:
Just do a Google News search on "housework breast cancer" and you'll see how many news sites picked this up. Everyone was so happy to run that headline and dig out a stock photo of a woman with a barely-concealed breast.
Then it went on to blogs - and a lot of misogynists and people who think women should be in the kitchen had to get their little digs in. Rush Limbaugh (http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_010307/content/cutting_edge.guest.html), for example.
Great deconstruction of the whole thing at Orac's blog Respectful Insolence (http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2007/01/obviously_a_male_conspiracy_is_at_work.php#more), which is where I read about it. Orac is a cancer specialist, and he knows how to read a study; he concludes that it's not frightfully significant.
So really, it's not a exciting or important study, it's not really news, and now it's been splattered all over as "Housework reduces breast cancer!"
Well done, media. http://www.crunchlite.com/boards/images/smilies/sarcasticclap.gif