Brooke Drumgole
Contributing Writer
Last year, all freshmen over the age of 18 were asked to participate in a new research project called Spit for Science. This year, researchers will continue the study with the help of a national grant.
“Because the launch last year was so successful, we were able to get a grant from the National Institutes of Health to keep the study going for the next five years,” said Danielle Dick, a researcher with Spit for Science and an associate professor of psychology at VCU. The grant will allow researchers to survey three consecutive classes of freshmen and track each class until 2017.
“We had nearly 70 percent of the freshman class last year participate in Spit for Science, which is tremendous compared to national averages closer to 30 percent for surveys in college students,” Dick said.
“This year we hope to have even higher participation rates among the incoming freshman,” he said.
The study hopes to look at the relationship between genetic and environmental factors thought to affect emotional health and substance abuse. Before recent studies like this one, genetics were believed to be the main determining factor in substance abuse, but it is now suspected that one’s environment also plays a significant role.
The two-part analysis uses data from the DNA collected to determine genetic factors and a survey to obtain insight on environmental factors, including personality traits, behavior, family, friends and experiences growing up.
Data collected this past year has shown that 72 percent of participants were involved in alcohol use, 38 percent had smoked at least one cigarette, 41 percent tried marijuana and 11 percent had experimented with stimulants.
Researchers target this particular age group because it is believed that young adults are more inclined to begin experimenting with substances around the age of 18.
The project has created many opportunities for students interested in research. Last year, 39 students were enrolled in the Spit for Science Undergraduate Research Team. This year there were more applicants as a result of the program’s growing popularity.