well, think of it this way X is the number of days the bottle-feeders missed X-74 is the number of days the breastfeeders missed (74 fewer days, in absolute terms, which is .23 compared to the 100% of the days the bottle-feeders missed) X is days bottle-feeders missed Y is days breastfeeders missed X/X-74 = 4.35 96-74 = 22 96/22 = 4.36 My brain is too old to figure out the algebra, so I did it by trial and error. If the bottle-feeders missed 96 days/100 mothers (over the span of time of the study) and the breastfeeders missed 74 fewer days, or 22 days/100 mothers over the same time span, then you have 74 fewer days, which represents a 77% reduction, if you use the bottle-feeders as your standard. Or if you use the breastfeeders as the standard -- 22 days of missed work, then with 96 days of missed work you have a 4.36-fold increase, or 436% increase. Kathy Dettwyler _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html