Williams says his goal is to provide each person who enrolls in the study with more information than they give. For example, individuals will learn how much exercise they are doing relative to others of their same age and sex, and also receive an evaluation about their weight and diet. These analyses will be provided without cost or without any obligation to join the study. Data from those participants who do choose to join the will be used to test how exercise, diet, and dietary supplements affect disease risk. All information provided will be strictly confidential.
Over the previous six years, Williams has conducted the National Runners' Health Study, a national prospective epidemiological study of 56,000 runners. The survey has played a prominent role in the ongoing national debate over recommendations on the desirable levels of physical activity. Williams also launched a companion study, the National Walkers' Health Study, which currently includes 5,000 walkers.
Williams says the Internet could prove to be a boon to epidemiological science. "Whereas these prior 'pencil and paper' questionnaires are expensive to produce, distribute, and analyze, the new broader National Health Study on the Internet will cost only pennies per person and will allow two-way interaction. It is a statistical fact that the larger the study, the greater the precision for identifying links between lifestyles and health. The goal of the study is to recruit 20 million Americans into the first epidemiological mega-survey."
Berkeley Lab (http://www.lbl.gov) is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory located in Berkeley, Calif. It conducts unclassified research and is managed by the University of California.
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Contact: Dr. Paul Williams
ptwilliams@lbl.gov
[510] 486-5633
DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
30-Mar-1998