More than 1,000 people from the Bath area have helped Department for Health academics in their research into exercise, diet and health by volunteering their time to take part in studies.
Research carried out in the Department looks at a wide range of health issues ranging from how and why people gain and lose weight, which forms of exercise are effective and which foods can improve health.
The findings of the projects have been made possible by people who have volunteered their time from a cross section of the community: men and women, young and old, people who are active and people who are not, as well as people with disabilities and people who are looking to lose weight.
Some people have been asked to come to the University on just one occasion and others have volunteered for studies that mean a much longer-term commitment for up to seven months.
Dr Dylan Thompson, who has led many of the studies, thanked the volunteers who have taken part.
He said: “We have just reached this major milestone, with over a 1,000 people having volunteered to participate in our research during the past ten years, and this reflects the amazing way in which people from around Bath have played a role in helping us to advance knowledge.
“Without the participation of people from the local community, who willingly give up their time, we would not be able to conduct our research. We are incredibly grateful.”
Dr James Betts, who has been leading research into nutrition and metabolism, pointed out the volunteers can learn a lot about their health during the studies.
He said: “People benefit personally from taking part and learn a lot more about themselves, for example, by learning more about how to make changes to their health, but, for many people, the primary motivation is to simply help with research at their local University.
“We do everything that we can to ensure that taking part in research is an enjoyable and interesting experience. Volunteers usually travel from a variety of towns and cities in the South West, although we did have one volunteer who had travelled several hundred miles to take part.”
Stuart Hunt, from Bradford on Avon, who recently participated in a research project in the Department for Health said: “Taking part in research at the University was a great opportunity to assess my own health and habits and it was also a great way to discover more about research being conducted within the University. It was a fascinating experience.”
Results from the research have led to the publication of dozens of articles in international journals from across the globe. Scientists from many other countries have used these publications and some have been adopted and endorsed by learned societies and organisations.
This research helps to guide policy and practice and eventually it should feed back to help other communities around the world.
Dr Thompson said, “We have made some major discoveries in this time. As a result of our research, we know more about how exercise helps to protect people against heart disease. We also know more about why people do not lose as much weight as they would like when they start an exercise programme.
“We know that supplementing the diet with certain types of foods will help improve health whereas others have no effect. We know more about the impact of skipping or consuming breakfast and we have helped to develop new types of exercise interventions that will allow people to have more choice. Every study helps to make a difference.”
A current project is looking to recruit young men aged 18-35 for a study to understand whether people should avoid eating for a few hours in order to get the best out of exercise. For this particular study, the researchers want to recruit men who are a little bit overweight because this could be particularly important for the results. If you are interested in taking part email Dr Dylan Thompson.
The Department has recently launched a new website where people can leave their contact details if they are interested in taking part in future studies.
