The Health Sciences Spotlight

Don't Get "Stuck" with Counterfeit Malaria Drugs

Stephen is on loan to us from George Mason University's MPH program. We're pleased to have his perspective on health sciences news.

Graduations and cookouts usually mark summer’s arrival, but there’s nothing like a few mosquito bites as war scars. Luckily for most of us, mosquitoes in the U.S. just leave us with unsightly welts. But if you are traveling this summer to Africa and Asia, you may want to take antimalarial drugs.

But, a heads up: one-third of all malaria drugs are counterfeit, according to a report published in The Lancet. Close to 1,500 samples of seven malaria drugs from seven countries in South East Asia were examined. The fraudulent meds can lead to drug resistance and treatment failure. Twenty-one Sub-Saharan countries experienced the same results from 2,500 drug samples (BBC News, 2012). (Image Credit)Researchers at the National Institutes of Health predict the reality involves more malarial drugs; however, malaria mortality rates have fallen by more than 25% globally since 2000 (BBC News, 2012).

Malaria is transmitted by female Anopheles mosquitoes in the form of a plasmodium falciparum infection. In 2010, malaria caused an estimated 655,000 deaths (with an uncertainty range of 537,000 to 907,000), mostly among African children (WHO, 2012).

The Lancet study found there are insufficient facilities to monitor quality control and poor consumer/health-worker knowledge about the therapies. There is a lack of regulatory oversight of manufacturing and little punitive action for counterfeiters (BBC News, 2012).

 

Growing Up to Be Diabetic

Stephen is on loan to us from George Mason University's MPH program. We're pleased to have his perspective on health sciences news.

Almost one in four U.S. adolescents may be on the verge of developing Type 2 diabetes or could already be diabetic, according to a study published in Pediatrics. The prevalence among children ages 12 to 19 has sharply increased from 10 years ago when it was estimated that fewer than one in 10 were at risk for or had diabetes.  More specifically, teenagers testing positive for diabetes and pre-diabetes nearly tripled to 23% in 2007-2008 from 9% in 1999-2000.  Data from the subjects come from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a national sample often used in health-related research. (Image Credit)

Health officials are approaching the research findings with caution because the survey used only one instrument to gage diabetic propensity. Still, the study further illuminates the troubling situation.

Previous studies have shown that Type 2 diabetes to be more aggressive in young people than in adults aged 40 and over. Sedentary lifestyles, lack of physical education in schools, and increased computer use may all be responsible for the increase in diabetes cases. This specific study did not show an increase in cardiovascular disease, though.

Two-thirds of American adolescents ages 12 to 19 are of normal weight, 16% are overweight, and another 18% are obese, The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report. The population of overweight and obese teens are at high risk for Type 2 diabetes.

 

 

 

A New Step Toward Preventing HIV Transmission

Stephen is on loan to us from George Mason University's MPH program. We're pleased to have his perspective on health sciences news.

The Food and Drug Administration approved a pill used to combat HIV transmission. This is especially suited for men who have sex with men (MSM). A series of panels have examined the benefits and barriers to use. The pill, Truvada, can be taken once daily as a pre-exposure prophalaxis. Truvada, which is manufactured by Gilead Sciences, is a combination of two previous medications, Emtriva and Viread.

Several considerations must be made when evaluating the PrEP, including costs, effectiveness, adherence, financing, resistance, and “behavioral compensation” (NASTAD, 2010). It is important for persons for taking Truvada to continue using condoms.  FDA emphasizes Truvada use is only for those who are HIV-negative to hinder drug resistance. Four major studies -- CAPRISA (Center for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa), iPrEx (Chemoprophylaxis for HIV Prevention in Men), Partners PrEP, and TDF2 – have assessed effectiveness (Celum, 2011) of Truvada. (Image Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty)

HIV/AIDS, once known as GRID (Gay-Related Immune Deficiency), is still largely affecting Men Who Have Sex with Men (amfAR, 2012). Nationally, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention estimates 53 percent of new HIV cases as MSM. Furthermore, 53 percent of all persons living with HIV/AIDS are MSM. An additional 4 percent were categorized as MSM-IDU (CDC, 2010). Sexual risk accounts for most HIV infections in MSM due to unprotected anal sex with someone other than a primary, HIV-negative partner. Unprotected anal sex poses a serious threat to the health of MSM (CDC, 2010).

 

 

 

 

Motivating Health Care Workers to Get the Flu Shot

When developing a health campaign, critically analyzing what is important to those you are trying to reach is imperative for a program to be successful.  The yearly, often high-profile, nature of seasonal influenza vaccination along with the enormous target population makes campaign planning and advocacy for vaccination difficult and exhausting. 

Each year, we work closely with the NIH's Occupational Medical Clinic, Clinical Center Director's Office, and communications team to put on a flu vaccination clinic for all of the health care workers, as well as employees and contractors at the facility.  Health care workers, along with others who have frequent contact with patients, are required to be vaccinated through the NIH's program or by another facility. With health care worker's hectic schedules and their desensitization to flu vaccine advocacy messages, it was a challenge for the communications team to develop a campaign that would (1) bring the health care workers into the clinic for vaccination quickly and (2) encourage them to receive the vaccine instead of finding a reason to decline.

We all assumed that there had to be research done on what would increase the likelihood of health care workers' compliance with the flu vaccination mandate. Thankfully, someone has done the research! According to a study published this week in Occupational and Environmental Medicine, health care workers who believe that the seasonal influenza vaccine is effective are more likely to get their flu shots.  Other characteristics that contribute to a health care worker's willingness to receive the vaccine each year are:

• "knowing the vaccine is effective;
• a willingness to prevent the spread of the flu virus;
• a belief that the virus is highly contagious and that prevention is important;
• having a family that is usually vaccinated; and
• convenient access to vaccination" (HealthDay News, 2012).

The study also include the factors that had little influence on health care workers' motivation to get vaccinated:

• "willingness to protect either themselves or patients at risk of complications if they caught the flu;
• previous experience with having the flu;
• being in contact with children; or
• having direct patient contact" (HealthDay News, 2012).

As was assumed by the NIH flu team, the study also found that "influenza vaccination will only be successful in [health care workers] if they are properly educated and if the vaccine is easily accessible" (HealthDay News, 2012). Reducing barriers to getting the vaccination and motivating people to get it will be a yearly battle, but luckily this research will help us and our NIH colleagues increase flu vaccination compliance even more in the 2012-2013 season.

(Image Credit)

 

 

Health Campaigns: The Public Face of Health Sciences Research

For all of the hours that health sciences researchers toil away in the labs, making discoveries that will enhance human health, it would be a waste to have that information be locked away in journals and poster sessions, wouldn't it? This is where health communicators come in - they are the liaison between the lab and the public.  It is a health communicator's job to translate scientific discovery into actionable behaviors for the public. One of the most common ways to do this is through health campaigns, which are strategic efforts to influence a population’s knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors by increasing awareness of health threats or moving audiences to action in support of certain public health practice.  Campaigns are launched with the intention of generating specific outcomes and/or effects across a relatively large number of individuals in a specific group (e.g., diabetics, young mothers).  These campaigns are usually deployed within a specified period of time using an organized and predetermined set of communication activities, such as public service announcements, pamphlets, or viral videos. 

In order to design an effective campaign that will speak to the intended audience in a way that is engaging, compelling, and relevant, campaign designers need to conduct extensive research on the target group prior to completing the campaign plan to understand what is important to the group, how they communicate, and how to best reach them.

Though extensive research and preparation can reduce the likelihood of unintended campaign effects, designers are not always able to anticipate and eliminate certain effects. There are eleven types of unintended effects that can occur through health campaigns:

• obfuscation
• dissonance
• epidemic of apprehension
• culpability
• desensitization
• opportunity cost
• social reproduction
• social norming
• enabling
• system activation
• boomerang (Cho & Salmon, 2007)

Bonus tidbit: the most famous PSA with unintended effects is the Partnership for a Drug-Free America's "This is your brain on drugs" commercial.

The best defense against these unintended effects is population research prior to and during the campaign development and deployment. Understanding the target population, including their social and cultural contexts, allows campaign designers to create messages and strategies that meet the group’s unique needs regarding health, information, and communication.  Messages must be clear and simple, use accessible language and familiar images, and appeal to the population’s key beliefs, attitudes, values, and worldview.  Designing messages by putting oneself in the target population’s mindset can help with creating an initial message.  Eliciting help from members of that community will provide a second check for message relevance and congruity. 

For more details on unintended effects and creating effective health campaigns that can withstand many unintended effects, click the button below to download our free white paper, "Creating Effective Health Campaigns: Engage, Compel, and Communicate the Intended Message."

 

 

 

 

Money, Honey: Health Sciences Research Funding Broken Down

As health sciences professionals, students, and fans, we're all familiar with the groundbreaking work that health science researchers do every day. But, just how exactly do researchers get money to fund their work? The overly simplified answer is that they (1) find funding sources, (2) prepare and submit proposals, and (3) follow up as needed (Cross & Evans, 2010). This post will focus on the first step, finding funding sources.

Cross and Evans (2010) advise that researchers in search of funding:

• Join relevant listservs
• Use university resources (if applicable)
• Review internet resources for Federal grants, foundations, corporations or agencies, and individual sponsors

Let's back up a little and talk about the basics...

What is a Federal Government grant?

"A federal grant is an award of financial assistance from a federal agency to a recipient to carry out a public purpose of support or stimulation authorized by a law of the United States. Federal grants are not federal assistance or loans to individuals." The following types of organizations are eligible for Federal Government grants:

• Government
• Education
• Public housing
• For-profit companies
• Non-profit companies
• Small businesses

Individuals are only eligible for grants that are open to individuals (Grants.gov, 2011).  See more on federal grant categories and government agencies that provide grants at grants.gov.

HHS provides 6 types of grant funding opportunities for health sciences research:

• Research Grants (R series)
• Career Development Awards (K series)
• Research Training and Fellowships (T & F series)
• Program Project/Center Grants (P series)
• Resource Grants (various series)
• Trans-NIH Programs

HHS provides the following grant opportunities (see hhs.gov for more information):

• NIH Research Project Grant Program (R01)  - Used to support a discrete, specified, circumscribed research project
• NIH Small Grant Program (R03) - Provides limited funding for a short period of time to support a variety of types of projects, including: pilot or feasibility studies, collection of preliminary data, secondary analysis of existing data, small, self-contained research projects, development of new research technology, etc.
• NIH Support for Conferences and Scientific Meetings (R13 and U13) - Support for high quality conferences/scientific meetings that are relevant to NIH's scientific mission and to the public health
• NIH Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) - Support small research projects in the biomedical and behavioral sciences conducted by students and faculty in health professional schools and other academic components that have not been major recipients of NIH research grant funds
• NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Award (R21) - Encourages new, exploratory and developmental research projects by providing support for the early stages of project development.  Sometimes used for pilot and feasibility studies.
• NIH Clinical Trial Planning Grant (R34) Program - Designed to permit early peer review of the rationale for the proposed clinical trial and support development of essential elements of a clinical trial
• Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) - Intended to stimulate scientific and technological innovation through cooperative research/research and development (R/R&D) carried out between small business concerns (SBCs) and research institutions (RIs)
• Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) - Intended to stimulate technological innovation in the private sector by supporting research or research and development (R/R&D) for for-profit institutions for ideas that have potential for commercialization
• NIH High Priority, Short-Term Project Award (R56) - Will fund, for one or two years, high-priority new or competing renewal R01 applications with priority scores or percentiles that fall just outside the funding limits of participating NIH Institutes and Centers (IC). Investigators may not apply for R56 grants.
• Research Project Cooperative Agreement - Supports discrete, specified, circumscribed projects to be performed by investigator(s) in an area representing their specific interests and competencies
• Research Program Project Grant (P01) - Support for integrated, multi-project research projects involving a number of independent investigators who share knowledge and common resources
• Exploratory Grants (P20) - Often used to support planning activities associated with large multi-project program project grants
• Center Core Grants (P30) - To support shared resources and facilities for categorical research by a number of investigators from different disciplines who provide a multidisciplinary approach to a joint research effort or from the same discipline who focus on a common research problem. 
• Specialized Center (P50) - To support any part of the full range of research and development from very basic to clinical
• Resource-Related Research Projects (R24) - Used in a wide variety of ways to provide resources for problems where multiple expertise is needed to focus on a single complex problem in biomedical research or to enhance research infrastructure
• Education Projects (R25) - Used in a wide variety of ways to promote an appreciation for and interest in biomedical research, provide additional training in specific areas, and/or to develop ways to disseminate scientific discovery into public health and community applications 
• Biomedical Information Science and Technology Initiative (BISTI)
• NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research
• Research Supplements to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research
• New and Early Stage Investigators (ESI) Policies
• Genome-Wide Association Studies
• NIH Basic Behavioral and Social Science Research Opportunity Network (OppNet)
• Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE)
• Stem Cell Information

What is a funding opportunity announcement (FOA)?

An FOA is "a publicly available document by which a Federal agency makes known its intentions to award discretionary grants or cooperative agreements, usually as a result of competition for funds. Funding opportunity announcements may be known as program announcements, requests for applications, notices of funding availability, solicitations, or other names depending on the agency and type of program.

• Program Announcement (PA) - Identifies areas of increased priority and/or emphasis on particular funding mechanisms for a specific area of science
• Request for Application (RFA) - Identifies a more narrowly defined area for which one or more NIH institutes have set aside funds for awarding grants; usually has a single recipient
• Request for Proposal (RFP) - Solicits contract proposals. An RFP usually has one receipt date, as specified in RFP solicitation" (HHS, 2009)

You can find a list of funding opportunity databases on Wikipedia (2011) and a list of where to search for scientific funding on AAAS' (2011) science careers page.

 

 

Exercise - Is There Anything It Can't Do? Part 3

As we've discussed in the first two parts of this series, being physically active has health benefits beyond weight maintenance and appearance.  In the first post of this series, we saw that exercise can reduce one's risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, breast and colon cancers, falls, and depression.  In part two, we looked specifically at the relationship between exercise and heart disease prevention. This third installment shows the relationship between exercise and cancer prevention, management, and recovery.

Recent studies have produced "convincing evidence that physical activity is associated with a reduced risk of cancers of the colon and breast" (NCI, 2011). Even better, research has shown a relationship between physical activity levels and risk for prostate, lung, and endometrial cancer

Exercise for Prevention

Colon Cancer: Exercise is thought to help prevent against colon cancer and tumor development because of its role in "energy balance, hormone metabolism, insulin regulation, and by decreasing the time the colon is exposed to potential carcinogens."  In addition, getting enough physical activity can "alter a number of inflammatory and immune factors, some of which may influence colon cancer risk" (NCI, 2011).

Breast Cancer: Research has also shown a connection between exercise and breast cancer development. "Physical activity may prevent tumor development by lowering hormone levels, particularly in premenopausal women; lowering levels of insulin and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), improving the immune response; and assisting with weight maintenance to avoid a high body mass and excess body fat" (NCI, 2011).

Endometrial Cancer: It is thought that changes in one's body mass and in the levels and metabolism of sex hormones are major factors in physical activity's endometrial cancer risk reduction (NCI, 2011).

Prostate Cancer: Though the exact relationship between prostate cancer prevention and exercise is still unknown, the benefits "may be related to changes in hormones, energy balance, insulin-like growth factors, immunity, and antioxidant defense mechanisms" (NCI, 2011).

Exercise During Treatment

For those who are currently cancer patients, "two and a half hours of exercise a week could lower a breast cancer patient’s risk of dying or cancer recurrence by 40% and could reduce a prostate cancer patient’s risk of dying from the disease by about 30%" (O’Connor, 2011).  According to the American Cancer Society, "too much rest may lead to loss of function, muscle weakness, and reduced range of motion in the person with a chronic illness" (ACS, 2010).  The ACS lists some of the ways regular exercise may help cancer patients during treatment:

• "Keep or improve your physical abilities
• Better balance, lower risk of falls and broken bones
• Keep muscles from wasting due to inactivity
• Lower the risk of heart disease
• Lessen the risk of osteoporosis (weak bones that are more likely to break)
• Improve blood flow to legs and lower risk of blood clots
• Make you less dependent on others to do normal activities of daily living
• Improve your self-esteem
• Lower the risk of anxiety and depression
• Lessen nausea
• Improve your ability to keep social contacts
• Fewer symptoms of tiredness (fatigue)
• Help you control your weight
• Improve your quality of life" (ACS, 2010)

Cancer patients should keep in mind that any exercise program should be approved by their doctor, and that it is okay not to exercise for a few days when feeling poorly.  Survivors may be able to do exercise at a higher intensity or for a longer duration, but they should still check with a doctor first.

Exercise Suggestion for Cancer Patients & Survivors*

Despite the health benefits, "recent studies have shown that more than 50% of Americans do not engage in enough regular physical activity" (NCI, 2011). Those who have not been diagnosed with cancer would do well by following the 2008 HHS Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.  Cancer patients and survivors benefit most from light-to-moderate exercise that is done regularly.  Please consult your physician before begining any exercise regimen.

If you are comfortable with and able to be around other people, patients and survivors may enjoy mall walking. Traditionally thought to be for "old people," mall walking is safe, comfortable exercise that is appropriate for anyone. The temperature-controlled environment and consistently-level ground eliminates some of the worry that may come from walking outside or on a treadmill. A half-hour walk a few times a week will greatly benefit patients and survivors.

The next post in this series will discuss the benefits of being physically active for those who are at risk for type 2 diabetes. If you have a question, please post it in the comments.

 

*Kelly Morgan is an AEA-certified fitness instructor, currently teaching group fitness classes at a top national health club.

Vitamin D, Biomedical Research Darling and Potential Villain

When thinking about vitamin D, most people conjure up images of milk mustaches or a reference to vitamin D as "the sunshine vitamin." Beyond those common associations we make with vitamin D and sunshine or milk, vitamin D has gotten a surprising amount of attention in recent biomedical research news for its effects on health outcomes.

Research has shown that getting enough vitamin D reduces the risk and likelihood of getting:

• Diabetes
• Heart failure
• Stroke
• High blood pressure
• Rickets
• Autoimmune and metabolic disease
• Infection
• Cognitive issues such as depression, cognitive function, and Alzheimer's
• An early first menstruation
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Crohn's disease
• Multiple sclerosis
• Tuberculosis
• Asthma
• Psoriasis
• Deadly cancers, including colon, prostate, and breast

Vitamin D also:

• Improves calcium absorption to help strengthen bones and prevent breakdown
• Enhances muscle strength (especially in the elderly)
• Reduces the chances of seizures, heart failure, and asthma in children (when the mother is pregnant with the child)

Getting Enough Vitamin D

Generally speaking, the darker one's skin pigmentation, the less vitamin D is produced naturally. Vitamin D can be found in fish, oils, butter and egg yolk, with fish-liver oil being the best dietary source of it. Ideally, a diet that includes dairy, fish and egg yolk coupled with 30 minutes of exposure to mid-day sunshine daily should prevent vitamin D deficiency.

Words of Caution

I will admit this and prepare for my public flogging: I use tanning beds, and I have since high school. I tell you this both as a form of catharsis and to give you a first-hand account of how vitamin D information is provided to regular folks. To begin, check out the photo I took of a poster in a room at my tanning salon:

For those who don't feel like squinting to read, some highlights are:

• "Sunshine prevents more deaths than it causes. Sunshine has a protective effect overall because it helps to create vitamin D - New Scientist, January 12, 2008"
• "The so-called sunshine vitamin is poised to become the nutrient of the decade... - The New York Times, February 19, 2008"
• "Studies shed light on 'sunshine vitamin.' Americans typically get more than 90 percent of their vitamin D from the source that nature intended--the sun... - The Oakland Tribune, January 22, 2008"
• "Time to rethink sun tanning? Dermatologists and the sunscreen industry have spent millions on a deceptive campaign to scare Americans away from the sun. Now the tide of research is turning the other direction. The positive effects of getting vitamin D from sunlight are clear. So soak up a little sunlight--indoors or out--a couple of times each week, and get your recommended does of the 'sunshine vitamin.'"

Whatever marketing wizard came up with this sign sure knew about cognitive dissonance and the internal debate that just about every indoor tanner has when crawling into the bed. This sign is just one example of how research on vitamin D can be adapted to fit marketing needs in certain industries, without particular public health concern.

Looking more broadly than just my local tanning salon, there are the issues of misunderstanding good information on the need for vitamin D and the tendency for people to self diagnose.  Concerning supplements and fortified food, there is a concern that "excess vitamin D is toxic and...with most food manufacturers fortifying their foods with vitamin D, those who are supplementing vitamin D from dietary supplements should pay special attention to the vitamin D, in the labels, of heavily fortified foods" (Nutri-Med, 2011).  Further, too much vitamin D is connected to instances of hypercalcemia, hypercalciuria, polyuria, renal stones, and ectopic calcium deposition.

The bottom line here is that we need to be vigilant in interpreting and promoting the benefits of vitamin D, not only as health sciences professionals but as consumers ourselves.

 

 

Exercise - Is There Anything It Can't Do? Part 2

This is the second post in a multi-part series on the health benefits of physical activity. This time, we will focus on how getting more physical activity can stave off heart disease, the leading cause of death for Americans. To learn the basics about physical activity, see the first post in this series.

What is heart disease?

Heart disease, sometimes called cardiovascular disease, is "a broad term used to describe a range of diseases that affect your heart....The various diseases that fall under the umbrella of heart disease include diseases of your blood vessels, such as coronary artery disease; heart rhythm problems (arrhythmias); heart infections; and heart defects you're born with (congenital heart defects)" (Mayo Clinic, 2011).

Risk factors for heart disease include both controllable and uncontrollable factors:

• "Male sex
• Older age
• Family history of heart disease
• Post-menopausal
• Race (African Americans, American Indians, and Mexican Americans are more likely to have heart disease than Caucasians)
• Smoking
• High LDL, or "bad" cholesterol and low HDL, or "good" cholesterol
• Uncontrolled hypertension (high blood pressure).
• Physical inactivity
• Obesity
• Uncontrolled diabetes
• High C-reactive protein
• Uncontrolled stress and anger" (WebMD, 2011)

You can calculate your risk for heart disease on the Mayo Clinic's website.

There is good news: you can make changes to your controllable behaviors (e.g., physical inactivity, smoking) that will significantly reduce your risk for heart disease.

Physical Activity for Prevention

Physical activity helps you control your weight and stress "and can reduce your chances of developing other conditions that may put a strain on your heart, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes" (Mayo Clinic, 2011). For those who have already been diagnosed with heart disease, exercise can help reduce the time you are out of work or your normal activities and improve your quality of life, improving self-confidence, lowering stress, and reducing anxiety. 

Regular exercise can affect heart disease risk factors in the following ways:

• "Increase in exercise tolerance
• Reduction in body weight
• Reduction in blood pressure
• Reduction in bad (LDL and total) cholesterol
• Increase in good (HDL) cholesterol
• Increase in insulin sensitivity" (Myers, 2003)

Exercise Suggestion*

Aerobic exercise is best for preventing heart disease. To increase your aerobic exercise, strive to walk 10,000 steps per day.  This can be done throughout the day, and includes walking around the grocery store, walking from a parking space, and, of course, walking on a treadmill. Though your health would greatly improve and your risk for heart disease would go down by simply trying to hit the 10,000 steps/day mark, it would be even better to include a dedicated workout session 3-5 days per week.

One way to motivate yourself to add more physical activity is to attend one or more group fitness classes in a week. There are many, many types of group fitness classes that allow you to have fun, be social, and get fit all at the same time. Gyms, health clubs, and rec centers often have a variety of group fitness options, such as step aerobics, dance classes, indoor cycling, boxing, and countless others. Talk to the class instructor before class begins to get the lay of the land, know what equipment to pick up, and any tips or tricks. Instructors love to engage with participants, so don't hesitate to ask questions!

The next post in this series will discuss the benefits of being physically active for those who are at risk for stroke. If you have a question about preventing heart disease, exercising with heart disease, or group fitness, please leave it in the comments.

 

*Kelly Morgan is an AEA-certified fitness instructor, currently teaching group fitness classes at a top national health club.

Proving What We Already Know

In a popular 2011 article from the LA Times, Brown discusses the prevalence of  "duh science," which is "the practice of hypothesizing, testing and publishing the seemingly obvious" (Brown, 2011).  She highlights examples of funded research done to prove what has already been proved before or that discovers truths that even the everyday yokel would know, like people with Altzheimer's disease drive worse than those who do not have Altzheimer's. Gasp! "But now it's evidence based knowledge," you may be saying. Yes, very true.  But to many it seem that doing this kind of research, where everyone already knows the results, is like being paid handsomely for nothing.

It turns out that duh research is actually strategic, rather than pure silliness. "Experts say they have to prove the obvious — and prove it again and again — to influence perceptions and policy" (Brown, 2011). Sometimes, there are even surprises in research results that challenge the common beliefs about the topic of study. For example, Brown notes research done on the DARE program that disproved its effectiveness. Surprise!

To be brief, there are three potential reasons for duh research:

1. "It takes time for studies to draw attention and become part of cultural 'common sense'" in order to change beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors;
2. These studies may be about social problems that "could be deserving of attention and funding, and one way to get attention is to publish more studies;" and
3. The publish or perish principle where researching these easy scientific issues is fast, simple, and publishable, which can "help scientists and researchers keep their careers moving forward" (Brian, 2011).

From the health sciences point of view, we need this type of research to help people make the changes we want, whether it's through influencing their beliefs and behaviors directly or through policy change. But from the skeptical tax payer's point of view, funding studies that prove what the general public already knows appear to be a frivilous waste of precious tax dollars (Brown, 2011).

Though you can likely see both sides of the argument here, and you may even be an advocate for the benefits of this kind of research, sometimes it's fun to laugh at these studies.  With that, I give you the Duh Research Hall of Fame:

Gaming instead of sleeping makes you tired

Lying at work can get you fired

High heels lead to foot pain

Coed dorms fuel sex and drinking

Diet and exercise help the morbidly obese lose weight

High levels of blackouts while drinking lead to increased chances of suffering an injury while drinking at some time in the future

Cutting calories and group sessions are key to weight loss

CDC: Practice healthy behaviors, have a longer life

Heavy drinking results in poor diet

Alcohol and impulsivity are a dangerous mix