The following memo appeared in the newsletter of the West Meria Public Health Council An innovative treatment has come to our attention that promises to significantly reduce absenteeism in our schools and workplaces A study reports that in nearby East Mer

In the memo of the newsletter, it is stated that fish consumption can reduce absenteeism. The author has come to this conclusion based on a study that says high consumption of fish can prevent colds because the people of the area close to East Meria frequently eat fish and as a result, get infected by cold only once or twice a year. However, before this recommendation can be properly evaluated, three questions need to be answered.

First of all, are areas nearby East Meria and all other places same? In other words, can we make a generalization about any place in the world just based on a study that focuses only on a certain area? It is possible that the overall environment of the East Meria area is quite congenial to health – perhaps there is no air or water pollution and people can enjoy fresh air which keeps them fit whereas most of the places on Earth are polluted with harmful gases and particles. Further, they might eat foods free of adulteration – fresh vegetables, fish, meat, etc - so they can have high nutritions and other essential elements to sustain a healthy life. If either of these scenarios has merit, then the conclusion drawn by the author is significantly weakened.

Secondly, do people always visit doctors when they get cold? The author assumes that people always consult with a doctor when they have cold. However, this might not be the case. Having cold is not considered by many people as a severe problem and so, they do not visit a physician, instead they take treatment by staying at home. Consequently, the number of cold patients go to a doctor chamber is less than the actual number. If the above is true, then the study result on which the author’s argument is based is highly biased which makes the suggestion not persuasive.

Finally, do people absent from school or workplace because of mainly cold? The author assumes that when people report, they always tell a truth. However, this is not necessarily true. People often absent because of other personal reasons such as family program, illness of other family members etc and then, might act like malingerers and report cold as the reason for their absence. They do it because perhaps they believe employers or school authorities know cold as a pervasive disease. Further, employers or authorities might not condone them if they are informed that the reason was anything but cold. If this is true, then the author’s assertion that preventing cold will reduce absenteeism becomes invalid.

In conclusion, the argument as it stands now is considerably flawed due to its dependency on several unfounded assumptions. If the author provides the answers of the above three questions and presents more evidence, then it will be possible to fully evaluate the viability of the proposed recommendation of increasing fish consumption to prevent cold.