Yvette: My thanks for keeping me honest. I appreciate it. I will refine my acid response, then, to to 'condensing' done by the three media reports of said research - all of which managed to present an air of complete surprise and/or 'wholesome shock and concern' - which is what really triggered my response. I did not see the actual results of the research. I did not spend more than five minutes trying, either, in all honesty - I was too torqued off by the tone of the reportage, but that's no excuse.
This is why comment sections on blogs are critical, even though they take maintenance hours - and this is why I'm so glad people actually read them. Because I *know* I say stupid things. When people call me on them, that's when I learn.
Again, Yvette, thank you. My apologies to your friend as well. I will resume my hunt for the actual research. I still (in absence of the data) am a tad underwhelmed by the conclusions - I want very much to know what the target of this research is. Is it policy-based? Are they attempting to produce ammunition for arguing with regulators, or the manufacturers? Are they trying to show distributors of the stuff what's going on? ...but I will say this: my reaction is my fault, because I don't have the data.
See? One can learn on a Saturday.
Posted by jbz at March 19, 2005 2:15 PM
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No problem at all. If I did it correctly, you should be receiving by email a fulltext of the article. I read it myself and was not too impressed by it, in terms of the very valid questions you asked. I looked at the center at Charles Drew conducting the research, however, and got a clearer picture of the purposes of this line of research--of which this article is only one part. Here's an excerpt:
The Collaborative Alcohol Research Center, funded by NIAAA, based at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science... The theoretical focus of the center is on health services and health policy with the following three themes: 1) prevention and detection of prenatal alcohol exposure, 2) the relationship of alcohol to HIV/AIDS, and 3) the assessment, treatment and costs of alcohol related problems. This focus and these themes have been chosen because there is an existing clinical and research infrastructures at Drew University to ensure their success and because increased knowledge in them will have direct and beneficial impact on minority and underserved communities. (More: http://www.cdrewu.edu/com2002/dean/research/alcoholAbout.asp)
And I probably shoulda let Rhonda speak for herself--It's just not everyday that I see references in linked articles to folks I know! Anyway, if you're interested you can take a look at her faculty page at the School of Public Health here at the U of MN http://www.epi.umn.edu/people/people.asp?ID=30
Thank you for continuing to post on this blog--Glad to have returned the favor after all that I have learned from you!
Posted by: Yvette P. at March 19, 2005 3:52 PM