9/26: Formative Research

This week we focused on learning about the ways of the world...or maybe just the ways of a small group of people that take up a miniscule part of the globe. Irregardless the task is by no means simple. We are all guilty of the occassional people watching at some point in our lives (myself included), and this week we learned about perfecting this method, and doing so in a way in which every meaningful detail can be noted, pondered, coded, and understood for some greater purpose. (Sounds a bit obsessive, but so is the life of a great researcher). Knowing the thoughts, beliefs, behaviors, and vaules of the target population in which you wish to intervene with a program that will prove beneficial (and in turn successful) is essential in behavioral research. It is no simple task to learn all these things about any group in a short amount of time. It truly does take years of practice to perfect this skill.

First a good research goes out and inspects the environment. Here I send a shout out to two of my groupmates, Stephanie and Liz, for going out and doing so. Our group is focusing on promoting healthier food choices in the on campus, dorm-dwelling college population. Stephanie and Liz reported back that they weren't met with the open arms from the cafeteria manager (our first major gatekeeper). "Really? Why not?" I wonder. "Do they have something to hide??? Does the staff know they are serving unhealthy foods to undergraduates?" (Highly doubtful, since college students very well know what is good for them and what is not...at least most of the time.) But I'm sure cafeteria staff don't like us mere MPH students wandering into the cafeteria with our overly do-good, optimistic attitude trying to change the world of college campus dining. Which brings me to my next point (yes it's true, I do have a point). Buy in of key informants and gatekeepers is extremely important in formative research. Yes people want to share their stories, thoughts and opinions. But do they want to share it with just anyone? Or do they ask something in return? What kind of incentives or buy in can a researcher give to gatekeepers for information they feel could be easily criticized? These are the questions that I was met with this week when deciding the best way to approach our nutrition topic with our given population. Hopefully, approaching college students, cafeteria personnell, and possibly our own experience with on campus dining can put the pieces of the puzzle together. Gaining knowledge through various perspectives may help us answer our question: How can we promote healthier food choices in a college population that is surrounded by fast food and/or buffet style eating, and a high affinity for instant gratification?