What are Some Challenges in Establishing Causal Links?
Several challenges can complicate the establishment of causal links:
- Confounding: Other variables may affect both the exposure and the outcome, making it difficult to establish a direct cause-effect relationship. - Bias: Selection bias, information bias, and other types can skew results and misinterpret the relationship between exposure and outcome. - Ethical Concerns: Conducting RCTs for certain exposures (e.g., smoking, radiation) is often unethical, limiting the ability to directly test causality.
