Science is a way of proving the world around us. Testing a hypothesis in a controlled environment is the most effective way to prove or disprove a phenomenon. Often, it is essential to test the idioms one uses in their everyday life to ensure that their manner of thought is correct. For example, I used to work in a lab that studied eating behaviors, mainly satiety and portion size. During my time there we carried out several studies looking at how portion size effects calorie consumption. We wanted to know if more calories on the plate led to more calories in the belly. Sounds simple, right? Although one could assume that having more food available would increase calorie consumption, it was important for it to be proven in a controlled environment in order to eliminate possible confounding factors (like the social context of calorie consumption). More than just proving common sense, using these study results, one can make a knowledgeable recommendation to a patient or subject; particularly, eating larger portions could be a contributing factor to weight gain, so portion control is a must.
That brings me to my point. Yesterday’s Café Science speaker was hand hygiene expert Elaine Larson, RN, PhD, FAAN, CIC. Though I was unable to see her speak yesterday (delayed return after traveling), I have seen her speak on this topic in that past, and she has been elemental in demonstrating how compliance with hand hygiene is the most important factor for preventing infections in the hospital setting. She has also contributed to our understanding of how hand hygiene can help to prevent the transmission of infections from patient to patient and how it contributes to overall personal health. Larson has taken common sense to next level, as she studied a widely practiced preventative technique (hand-washing) in a controlled environment in order to improve hygiene practices and health.
So the next time you recite your favorite idiom, remember that many common sense practices have strong scientific data, like that of Larson’s work, to back their claim.
I’m sorry I missed Larson- sounds interesting. So did you help set up a calorie consumption tests and how did you control for environmental and social factors (also was the food good and how did your lab find volunteers to eat this food?)
Sabbi- In order to control for social factors, we had them eat in a cubicle on their own (even reading materials weren’t allowed). Though this would would eliminate the effect of peer pressure on eating, it is still not perfect becuase it doesn’t really resemble a real life eating environment. I guess you could say it is the meal reductionist approach.
As far as the foods themselves, subjects were questioned about the their food preferences before they were admitted to the study. They had to like at least the entree portion of every meal, but their preference for the sides and desserts was not accessed.