Name Bradford Hill criteria with at least three examples.

• A. Temporality, strength of association, consistency
• B. Temporality, strength of association, coherence
• C. Plausibility, coherence, reversibility
• D. Dose-response, temporality, consistency

Answer: (B)

Bradford Hill criteria help determine whether an observed exposure–disease link is causal. The most crucial idea among them is temporality: the exposure must occur before the disease develops. If the timeline doesn’t fit, causation isn’t plausible. Next, the strength of the association matters—stronger associations are less likely to be explained away by bias or confounding, making a causal interpretation more believable. The third idea is coherence: the association should fit with existing knowledge about the disease’s biology and natural history, not clash with what is already understood. When temporality is satisfied, the association is strong, and the relationship is coherent with current science, the case for causation is strongest. Other criteria like consistency or dose–response can add support, but these three form a commonly cited, solid basis for causal inference.