Follow-Up: Spit for Science pushes for 70 percent participation in final days of data collection

Mechelle Hankerson
News Editor

VCU’s unique Spit for Science study will wrap up their fall-semester data collection on Oct. 28 despite currently only having an approximate 55-percent response rate for the survey part of the study.

Ideally, researchers would like to reach a 70-percent participation rate, which equals about 550 more student responses.

The study calls for students to anonymously donate their spit (for researchers to look at genetic factors) and to complete a short survey to measure environmental factors. The study is looking at possible correlations between environmental factors and substance use and emotional health.

“The more students who participate, the more representative our findings will be,” said Lisa Halberstadt, Spit for Science project coordinator.

The study was open to a little more than 3,600 students, and according to study coordinator and VCU associate professor Danielle Dick, only about 1,980 (55 percent) of eligible students have completed the survey component of the study.

Of those 1,980 students, about 97 percent of them have completed the spit component, which provides the genetic information for the study.

“(It’s) been really great to see that the majority of students are happy to do both parts of the study,” Halberstadt said.

Last week, in an effort to gather last-minute surveys, Halberstadt said research groups went into freshman dorms and were able to get about 100 more surveys completed.

“The survey is the part (of the study) that gets at different environmental factors,” Halberstadt said. “We’re not just interested in what genes might be playing a role, but we’re interested in what environments have a positive or negative impact on students.”

Spit for Science is a longitudinal study, following the original participants over a designated amount of time. For this study, participants will be encouraged to participate for their four years of college. The next round of data collection will begin in the spring semester.

Halberstadt said the survey out now focuses on getting information for researchers to compare with future data.

“In the spring semester we’ll be looking more at … specific sorts of behavior,” Halberstadt said.

All students who complete the Spit for Science survey and pick up their $10 payment by 5 p.m. on Oct. 28 will be entered in a drawing to win prizes such as a Kindle and an Xbox 360.

Drawing winners will be notified via e-mail on Oct. 31. Prizes may be picked up at the special Spit for Science party in the Commons on Nov. 2 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.. Attendees who wear their Spit for Science shirts will receive free food from Chipotle.

According to Dick, the party is a way to thank members of the VCU community who have helped the study.

Spit for Science researchers plan to present preliminary results of the study at the November Spit for Science forum.

Students who need a new link to the survey can contact the Spit for Science research team at spit4science@vcu.edu or call a study representative at (804) 628-4645.