1.5 times smaller, 20 times lower.... 

I never understand these terms.  How can something be 20x smaller?  I mean a box can be 20x larger.  A box could be 20% smaller. but nothing can be 20 times lower.  I read the article that was cited the words used were "3.5 deaths per 100,000 person-years–only 3 percent of the rate (i.e., 116) expected for the general population".  from that we could say "the death rate was 3% of the expected" or "there was a 97% decrease in cancer related mortality.  Can we correct these confusing terms so useful information can be conveyed.