Obesity is a national health crisis -- or it isn't. Vaccines cause autism -- or they don't. Think of any current health controversy, and you can be sure that plenty of experts have already taken opposite sides.
Some of the most influential and vocal health experts belong to advocacy organizations such as the Center for Science in the Public Interest and the American Council on Science and Health. These groups have well-oiled publicity machines, connections in Washington and a proven ability to show up in news stories. But who are they, and what do they stand for?
In large part, they stand for controversy. "Consumer groups will run with an issue if they think it will get them publicity and funding," says Robert Mayer, a professor of family and consumer studies at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. That doesn't automatically mean that the issues championed by the groups aren't valid -- but it helps, when assessing their words, to know more about them. Here, the Healthy Skeptic takes a look at a few of the groups behind the press releases.
American Council on Science and Health
The ACSH calls itself an "independent, nonprofit, tax-exempt organization" with an advisory board of 350 physicians, scientists and policy experts. The organization says 40% of its funding comes from corporations, although it doesn't specify which ones. Previous donors to ACSH have included Anheuser-Busch, Coca-Cola and Bristol-Myers, according to the Center for Media and Democracy, a Madison, Wis.-based nonprofit organization that publishes PR Watch, a quarterly newsletter that tracks advocacy organizations and PR groups.
That money doesn't buy loyalty, says ACSH associate director Jeff Stier: "I have no problem accepting funds from corporations as long as there are no strings attached."
With one notable exception -- tobacco -- the ACSH generally sides with industry on every health controversy, says Sheldon Rampton, research director for the Center for Media and Democracy. Some of these stances are well-supported by science. For instance, the group has debunked claims that childhood vaccines cause autism, a position that puts them in the same camp as most scientists and public health experts. On the other hand, the group also dismisses any suggestion that phthalate compounds in plastics pose health risks, a threat that most experts say is still an open question.
