The issue focused on the state of public health, said Dr. Alim S. A. Dardan, a research professor in the University of Washington's Department of Public Health.

"I do not know that I have ever seen an article that was as low-hanging fruit as this one," he said. "It is so good. It's like it's been there for years. The problem is, you can't just see the study. You have to go and look at the whole