Every day there seems to be a new health warning regarding what you should and shouldn’t eat or certain products you should or shouldn’t use. Gone are the days where you can switch on the news or pick up a newspaper and be faced with success stories or even positive headlines in general.

 How are these health warnings presented to us?

 Well, what catches your eye?

 Long-winded sentences comprising of facts encrypted with medical terms or short snappy phrases, which can more often than not contradict the main point of the whole article. Yes, it goes without saying it is the second option. As a nation, we are continuously exposed to a number of short snappy statistics.

 Statistic – “The practice or science of collecting and analysing numerical data in large quantities”. (Oxford dictionary)

 The danger with this process of advertisement is statistics can be very deceiving and people do not pay attention to the context, just the numbers (tvtropes). (But is the carefully calculated number figure being presented the only maths principal?) For example in order for a statistic to hold any accountability, data has to be collected concerning different variables, take yoghurt advertising as a perfect example. We are constantly exposed to adverts raving about the latest yoghurt consisting of “0% fat and only 99 calories” so you are immediately under the illusion it is a healthier option as a snack. So we jump on the bandwagon as we can snack on this product ‘guilt free’, however over time, start to get frustrated that you are not losing the weight like you would assume now that you are ‘leading a healthier lifestyle’. Perhaps because the statistic which drew you in to buy the product failed to mention that the yoghurt is still laden with sugar, hence why it still tastes so good. It completely contradicts the words that were once used to describe this product i.e healthy. Consumers were instantly drawn in with the clever use of numbers and perhaps are not knowledgeable about the remaining contents, which will prevent them from enjoying a ‘healthy snack.’

 In simpler terms, do we need to have a ‘Profound Understanding of Health Care?‘

With regards to what we are eating, feeling and actively doing to keep fit. In order to stay remotely with what we perceive as ‘healthy’, we need to take statistics with a pinch of salt, until we have the conceptual knowledge and evidence of the data gathered to establish the statistic in the first place. So we can understand and process the real message behind the product advertisement.

You could relate this to Lipping Ma’s research of having a ‘Profound Understanding of Fundamental Mathematics’ by having

• “multiple perspectives” (Ma,1999:122)-  Being aware of the different approaches to establishing this statistic in the first place and take into consideration of the different variables that would have had to be tested to come to the final figure that is being promoted.
• “Basic Ideas” (Ma,1999:122) – Knowing the components of the statistic or in simpler terms the ingredients essential to making this product so you can make an informed judgement before you rush out to buy what you think is a ‘healthy snack’.

           “I never believe in statistics unless I’ve forged them myself!”- Winston Churchill.

Stevenson, A (2003). Oxford Dictionary of English. London : Oxford University Press

Lipping, M (1999). Knowing and teaching elementary mathematics: teachers’ understanding of fundamental mathematics in China and the United States. New York and London: Routledge. 122.