Health – for primary school

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Glossary

A
Advantage of a treatment

An advantage of a treatment is something about it that you think is good.

Association

An association is a link or connection.

Avoid

To avoid is to keep from getting.

B
Based on

To be based on is to be supported by.

Blind

In treatment comparisons, to blind someone means to keep them from knowing who received which treatment.

Brand name

The brand name of a treatment is the name that a company uses to advertise their version of it.

Basis

The basis of a claim is what supports it.

Beware

To beware is to be careful or wary.

C
Careful summary

A careful summary is what researchers make when the carefully select all fair comparisons of the same treatments and add up the findings.

Claim

A claim is something someone says that could be right, but could be wrong.

Comparison of treatments

A comparison of treatments is a study where researchers look carefully at the differences in what happens between groups that use different treatments.

Conclusion

A conclusion is what you believe or decide after thinking carefully.

Cure

To cure is to make healthy again.

D
Diagnosis

When you are sick, doctors figure out what’s making you sick by asking questions and ordering tests. What they figure out is called a diagnosis.

Diarrhoea

When you have diarrhoea you have to go to the bathroom a lot and your poop is runny and watery.

Disadvantage of a treatment

A disadvantage of a treatment is something about it that you think is bad.

Disease

A disease is a sickness.

Dissimilar

not alike, not the same, different

E
Effect

An effect of a treatment is something that it makes happen.

Effective

A treatment is effective if it causes something to happen that is wanted.

Event

An event is when something happens, like someone getting sick or better.

Evidence

Evidence is facts used to support what you believe or decide.

Exaggerate

To exaggerate is to magnify or overstate.

Earache

Earache is pain inside the ear. It can be caused by an infection.

Experience

An experience is something that happened to someone.

Expert

An expert is someone who knows a lot about something.

F
Fair comparison of treatments

A fair comparison of treatments is one where the only important difference between the groups that are compared is the treatments they receive.

Fair

In a comparison of treatments, fair means not giving an advantage to one treatment over another.

Fact

A fact is something known by observing it or experiencing it.

Faulty logic

Faulty logic is bad reasoning.

H
Harmful effect

A harmful effect of a treatment is something it makes happen that you don't want.

Harm

A harm of a treatment is something it makes happen that you don’t want.

I
Infection

An infection is a disease caused by bugs that are too small to see with only the eye.

Ignore

To ignore something is not to pay attention to it.

K
Kidneys

The kidneys are a pair of body parts that filter waste materials out of the blood.

O
Outcome

In treatment comparisons, an outcome is something good or bad that can happen after a treatment and is measured in studies.

P
Placebo effect

Just believing that a treatment works can change how someone feels. This is called a placebo effect.

Predict

To predict is to tell in advance what will happen.

S
Side effect

A side effect is a harmful or unpleasant effect of a treatment that is not planned.

Study

A study is a careful look at something by researchers.

Substitute outcome

A substitute outcome is a less important outcome that takes the place of a more important one in a study of the effects of treatments.

Sick

Someone is sick when they are not well.

Similar

alike, the same, not different

T
Theory

A theory is an explanation for why something happens.

Treatment comparison

A treatment comparison is a study where researchers look carefully at the differences in what happens between groups that use different treatments.

Treatment effect

A treatment effect is something a treatment makes happen.

Treatment

A treatment is something you do for your health.

Treatment comparison group

In a study of the effects of treatments, a treatment comparison group is the group of people who receive one of the treatments being compared.

U
Unfair comparison of treatments

An unfair comparison of treatments is one where there are important differences between the groups that are compared besides the treatments they receive.

Unfair

In a comparison of treatments, unfair means giving an advantage to one treatment over another.

Uncareful summary

An uncareful summary of treatment comparisons is when the comparisons (studies) are not selected carefully and the findings are not added up carefully.