|
|
|
|
|
Mi-Kyung Hong, MPH, Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, University of California, San Francisco, 530 Parnassus Avenue, Suite 366, Box 1390, Library, San Francisco, CA 94143, 415-502-8203, mkhong@itsa.ucsf.edu and Lisa A. Bero, PhD, Institute for Health Policy Studies, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, and Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, University of California, San Francisco, 530 Parnassus Avenue, Suite 366, Box 1390, Library, San Francisco, CA 94143.
The tobacco industry has refuted the methodology of meta-analysis, an epidemiologic method that pools data from original studies to calculate risk. Many meta-analyses, systematic quantitative reviews of the data, have been criticized by the tobacco industry in their efforts to undermine scientific evidence showing cancer risk associated with secondhand smoke exposure. Most recently, meta-analysis has been used to link breast cancer risk to passive smoking exposure. Our objective is to discuss the tobacco industry’s strategy to criticize the method of meta-analysis. We will also show industry sentiment to counter current science and meta-analyses suggesting that breast cancer is associated with smoking. Tobacco industry documents were retrieved and analyzed from the Legacy Tobacco Documents Library (http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu). Internal industry documents show the tobacco industry paid scientific consultants to critique meta-analyses that suggested any harmful health effects associated with tobacco use. Moreover, the tobacco industry sponsored their own company scientists to produce meta-analyses and data that refuted growing evidence of the negative health consequences of secondhand smoke exposure. Our study shows that the tobacco industry closely monitors the development of new scientific methods such as meta-analysis that are used by the public health community to further substantiate original findings. Scientific debates about meta-analysis and other evolving scientific techniques are not immune to corporate agendas.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Tobacco Industry, Tobacco Policy
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.