Understanding why health research matters

Research is key for public health. It can lead to solutions, cures, answers for certain behaviors and further findings.

We often read health studies; some we can relate to, others are met with skepticism. Take, for example, the latest research that linked red meats with colon cancer, released earlier this week by the World Health Organization. Like many studies, the findings were suggestive but not definite.

Yet the great thing about research, specifically quantitative research, is that it provides numbers – it helps us measure effects, adding value to issues. Qualitative research provides depth and anecdote to a matter.

Sometimes, for those of us who are not scientists, it is difficult to wrap our head around the significance of it all – leading to my favorite questions: “What does this mean?” and “Why should I care?”

And while it might be a while before we see results, research has purpose – and if it’s for better health, we should probably be paying close attention.

Following are three health-related studies that I’ve recently learned about and thought local readers might find interesting.

Academic expectations linked to risky behaviors

A local study from UC Merced sociologist Irenee Beattie, released earlier this month, found that women who fail to meet their own academic expectations are more likely to have unprotected sex and other risky behaviors. The study, recently published in the journal Sociological Perspectives, found the same is true for adolescents whose expectations were perhaps too low.

“Teenagers get the message that everyone should plan to go to college – this idea can have many benefits, but it could be detrimental if not also paired with the skills and knowledge to help them make that dream a reality,” Beattie said in a university news release.

Beattie used available data from national survey responses to determine the age at which young women first reported having unprotected sex and combined it with information about their educational goals as well as their achievements.

According to the study, there is a clear correlation between the teens’ educational success and their tendency to have unprotected sex. Beattie suspects the same would be true for other risky behaviors such as smoking.

More birth defects caused by drinking during pregnancy than reported

There is a higher rate of fetal alcohol syndrome and partial fetal alcohol syndrome than previously reported, according to a new study published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

In the United States, fetal alcohol syndrome was previously estimated at no more than 3 per 1,000 children. The new research, however, reports that this number is closer to between 3 and 8 children per 1,000. When combined with partial fetal alcohol syndrome, the number jumps to between 11 to 25 children per 1,000.

Fetal alcohol syndrome is a condition that causes physical and mental damage in children whose mothers drank alcohol during pregnancy, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Children with fetal alcohol syndrome may have abnormal facial features as well as lifelong learning and behavioral problems.

According to lead researcher Philip May of the Nutrition Research Institute at the University of North Carolina, most surveillance methods only capture about 15 percent to 20 percent of children with fetal alcohol syndrome, usually the most severe. He estimates only 1 in 6 cases gets a diagnosis.

“These children are out there in the mainstream population not performing well, but nobody is sure why,” he said in a news release.

Intimate partner violence takes toll on sleeping habits and health

It is widely known that violent relationships have a negative effect on people’s physical and mental health. A new study from the College of Medicine at the University of Arizona reveals new findings regarding the toll this violence has on sleep.

Nearly half the health issues stemming from domestic violence abuse are sleep-related. In other words, living in a violent home can make it hard to obtain healthy levels of sleep, which can translate to more health problems.

Researchers also found that people who have been threatened or physically harmed are three times as likely to have sleep problems when compared with people who have not experienced intimate partner violence. The study did not find much difference between men and women in regard to sleep disturbance following domestic violence.

This story was originally published October 30, 2015 at 6:52 PM with the headline "Understanding why health research matters."