Tag Archives: research study

Author Challenges The Obsession with Obesity

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In her book, Rethinking Thin Gina Kolata argues that being fat is not something that people have control over. A researcher asked the question: Would you rather be fat or blind? Kolata, a science reporter for The New York Times, shares the answers to the researcher’s question. 89 percent of respondents to this question all agreed that they would rather lose their sight than be fat. When you’re blind, people want to help you. No one wants to help you when you’re fat. The idea that people would rather be blind than fat is shocking, but once you start reading … Continue reading →

Giving of Ourselves (Ouch!) for Research

Last Wednesday, my four sons and I drove to the University of Utah Pediatric Diabetic Clinic to participate in a medical study called “The Type 1 Diabetes Genetics Consortium.” Since two of my sons are diabetic and two are not, we are in a unique position to help researchers find clues about possible causes of juvenile diabetes. Each of our blood samples would be compared and screened for genetic markers which would indicate a risk of contracting this mysterious disease. Of course, that meant “giving of ourselves,” like our time, effort, and of course, our DNA. “It’s going to hurt…” … Continue reading →

Medical Research: Our Family’s Affair

Well, the “study folks” finally made contact with me. They had left several messages and I had intended to return their calls…sort of. I knew that participating in a research study was something our family would be asked to do. Perhaps I was intentionally not making myself very available. But I knew that eventually they would track me down, and yesterday they did. The Request “Mrs. Crow? This is Jeannie…” She went on to explain that because our family had two children with juvenile diabetes, we were eligible to participate in a study called the Type 1 Diabetes Genetics Consortium. … Continue reading →