We make a whole bunch of selections that affect our health each day – from what we eat and the way we move our bodies, to the questions we ask our doctor when our youngsters are sick, or how we support our ageing parents with dementia or cancer.
Sometimes we make decisions out of habit, or based on what feels right. At other times, it’s after hearing a few friend’s experience, or performing some research online.
But there’s a lot contradictory advice within the news, online and particularly on social media. One day a study says coffee is bad for our health, the following week, one other says it will probably help us live longer. So it’s hard to work out whether you must actually reduce, drink more, or worry about something else.
The problem is that science is incremental. An early finding might sound promising, nevertheless it takes more studies, with more people, to construct a body of evidence. We need experts to assist us interpret recent findings, put them into context and help us make decisions right for us.
This is why we launched The Conversation 13 years ago (I used to be certainly one of ten original editors). Back then, the anti-vaccine movement was gathering pace and listicles were beginning to be a thing. We launched at a time when other media outlets were shrinking, and while we had funding for 3 years, none of us was sure if it this kind of journalism would take off.
Thankfully it did. Evidence-based journalism is required now greater than ever.
I and the remaining of The Conversation’s health editors trawl through academic papers to bring you the newest research and commission experts to place it into context for you. We interrogate government announcements about how taxpayer money is spent, and evaluate policy solutions to enhance our collective health. And we commission experts to reply questions that you just (and we) have at all times wondered about, like what happens to our teeth as we age or, as on this morning’s story, how best to assist people living through cancer treatment.
If you value our journalism, consider donating to The Conversation today. We know the associated fee of living is biting, but every little bit helps.
