Explain what epidemiological concepts are included in the mass media article (e.g., measures of association, study design, confounders, and bias) and how they compare to those in the peer-reviewed article.

Mercy Itesa

The New York Post in its article covers the study’s findings in a simplified way with the emphasis on the correlation between COVID-19 and the higher risks of developing long-term cardiovascular complications. Several key epidemiological concepts are present in both the mass media report and the peer reviewed article, but the latter provides more in depth and accurate information.

Study Design: As for the study design, the mass media article does not provide a clear explanation and instead claims that the researchers “analyzed data’ from patients with COVID-19 and noninfected people. In contrast, the peer reviewed article is more explicit on how the study was conducted, stating that a population based matched cohort study was employed to ensure comparability of the groups.

Measure of Association: In the mass media article, COVID-19 is said to "double" the risk of heart attack, stroke, or death, but specific relative risk or hazard ratio values are not provided. The peer reviewed study reports more specific statistical measures like adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) with confidence intervals (CIs) to more accurately express the association between COVID-19 and cardiovascular events.

Confounders and Bias: In the peer reviewed study, confounders like age, preexisting heart disease, and diabetes are accounted for using statistical adjustments. But neither of the articles discusses how these factors were controlled for, which could lead to an oversimplified interpretation of the study’s findings.