Question 2
This study mentioned that physical activity was not looked at due to the fact that adequate measures were not available and at the time physical activity for exercise was not done by many people. If this study was done today would you use physical activity and how would it affect the results?
posted by Stephanie @ 7:48 PM
18 comments
18 Comments:
I would definitely look at physical activity in this time. Physical activity is much more common and promoted now, as well as it plays a major role in our health. It would affect the weight status of the individuals as well as some lab results.
If this study was done today, the researchers should definitely take physical activity into consideration. I'm sure that adequate measurement tools exist now and wouldn't add much to the complexity of the study. I'd expect that participants with higher physical activity levels and higher vegetable protein consumption would have the lower BMIs and those with low physical activity levels and high animal protein consumption would have the higher BMIs.
I would definitely look at physical activity levels. Today people are much more active or much less active. I feel like there is a very broad spectrum for physical activity in our country and this would help us see if adding more physical activity with animal protein consumption would lower BMI or keep it the same. I would guess that the addition of physical activity along with consuming animal protein would lower BMI rates and make them similar to those who consume only plant protein.
I think that physical activity would be an important variable to observe at in a study done in today’s society. It could largely influence an individual’s BMI. For example, an individual who consumed mainly animal protein could also be highly physically active and therefore have a lower BMI. I believe physical activity is a factor that needs to be adjusted in a study like this done today.
Yes, I would definitely look at physical activity. Protein needs are related to specific types of physical activity/goals and may be reflected in an individual's protein consumption. Should body fat % also be considered? On the extreme side of protein consumption, a body-builder would have a high protein intake level and a high BMI. This factor would need to reflect that the increased BMI is related to increased muscle tissue.
I would definelty use physical activity within the study. I would like to see if individuals that workout and eat animal protein are affected at all. It would be interesting to look at the differences between people who are active and consume animal protein versus those who aren't active yet consume only plant protein.
I would definelty use physical activity within the study. I would like to see if individuals that workout and eat animal protein are affected at all. It would be interesting to look at the differences between people who are active and consume animal protein versus those who aren't active yet consume only plant protein.
Amanda. I agree with your idea on using body fat percent as a measurement. Using BMI might skew some of the results especially of those people who are very active and have large muscle content.
Yes, activity would definitely need to be considered if the study were done today, because as many have commented already, the spectrum of physical activity is so broad today. However I think the researchers were correct in assuming that physical activity was basically the same among the cohort of this study.
Amanda brings up an interesting point with the varied protein needs and BMI in relation to this study. Do you think that would greatly alter the design of this study?
Without a question I would include physical activity in this study, Activity and diet go hand in hand with fighting obesity, and since this study is looking at BMI it really only looked at half the puzzle.
I agree with Ali that it would be interesting to look at the differences between people who are active and consume animal protein versus those who aren't active yet and consume only plant protein. Some interesting studies could be made looking at the different correlations between these variables!
I think that it would play a role in the results but I do not think I would include this variable if I was recreating the study today. Even though it would offer a more complete lifestyle assessment, the researchers would have to draw the line somewhere.
I think body fat % would be a better measure then BMI but to have a large study would be time consuming and costly. Skin fold measurements would be inexpensive but difficult to stay consistent, since more than one researcher would be taking the measurements. Maybe waist size could work as a substitute?
Good points Kevin! It's true that a line has to be drawn somewhere. The reseachers were already taking into account the factors of age, education, smoking, alcohol intake, total calories, carb and fat intake, and medical history. They really could just keep the list going. I think it exemplifies the fact that obesity is a multifaceted issue.
I like Kevin's idea of using a measurement other than BMI if the study were done today. Also, I appreciated the suggestion about looking at protein type and activity level - is a vegetarian diet less protective against overweight if the person is sedentary?
Kevin, you bring up a good point. Researchers must strongly consider the purpose of their study and which variables are most related to that purpose. By including too many variables, the study begins to lose focus of the original purpose and becomes confusing. Although, I still believe physical activity is very important factor to observe when studying BMI's and obesity.
I agree with Jamie that it is important to use physical activity in a study looking at BMI. Some people are very active while others barley move through out the day. Plus there are overweight people who use vegetable protein so it would be good to add life style choices into the study.
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