Much has been made by tobacco control of low birth weights being "caused" by smoking and to back that up they had the fact that birth weights since the 1950’s had indeed been rising while smoking rates had been declining. (B follows A so A must have caused B right?)
The big problem is that a new study from researchers at Harvard Medical School of 37 million full-term deliveries between 1990 and 2005 shows that birth weights are falling – even in well-educated, married, non smoking women who go to full term.
Still, I doubt that anyone will use the "A causes B formula" this time around to warn the public that being a married non smoker causes low birth weights.
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