People have a number of concerns about medical research, including the inadequacy of information that is disseminated to the public, the competition that occurs between researchers, and the perceived use of placebos in clinical trials. People want to know what the known risk factors are and what, if any, actions can be taken to reduce the risk. They also want to know if there is a certain level of exposure that puts them at risk. For example, people are interested in knowing how much of a particular ingredient they would have to eat to be at risk for developing a certain cancer. People want to know, in absolute numbers, how many people will get a particular cancer within a defined period of time.
People have a difficult time understanding numerical estimates of risk.
If ratios are used, people have an easier time understanding information that is provided with common denominators. Communicators should give not only a risk estimate but also an explanation of how serious the risk is. People are looking to communicators to assist them in understanding the seriousness of the problem. People want to be given information in both relative and absolute terms. For example, when told that a risk may increase 1.9 times, people want to know what the initial risk is, as well as the implications of the increased risk.