So where are we going with all of this? Well it seems that the CDC Center for Disease Control has stumbled upon what it thinks is some valid data that is of vital importance. According to their findings two out of every five homes have dropped their landline in favor of mobile phones.  Now this is (un)interesting enough, but they followed it on with some claims that are a little amusing.

From the information they have collected there is a health difference between the families that are still connected to a traditional Telco (Telephone Company) and those that have cut the cord in favor of a single mobile number.

It seems that upwards of 47% of the population live in a wireless only home. This population of people on the go are (according to the CDC) less likely to have received their flu shots are more likely to have faced financial issues when related to health care, and are also more likely to smoke and drink heavily.

It seems that if you have a “home phone” you are much healthier than if you are mobile only. Now the absurdity of this claim and the numbers they use to make it is pretty large. The CDC even admits that they have not had luck in contacting people on their mobile phones simply because most people using a mobile phone will not answer an unknown call.

Still they are putting out this data that is based on information they know to be inaccurate. As the population moves from the old landline to a mobile only lifestyle this type of survey (calling someone to ask them about their health) will not work. The CDCD needs to shift from a telemarketing model and into something a little more modern. It might actually work to get them better information. As Stephen J. Blumberg, the study’s leading author said: “The public health community may be relying on inaccurate data in deciding which programs to move forward with.”

We would suggest that Blumberg is right…

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