What Do You Mean By That?

New research shows that researchers and subjects often have different definitions for drinking terms and classifications. For example, many women in the study described themselves as “tipsy,” which actually met the definition for high-risk drinking.

This is nothing new for health behavior research. For years we have known that many people who “smoke socially” do not consider themselves to be smokers. Therefore, not only is the research inaccurate, but also it is harder to provide treatment. Researchers and treatment providers should look closer at the terminology and communication used to talk about these issues.

http://www.jointogether.org/news/research/summaries/2008/study-researchers-subjects.html

-posted by Tad Spencer