Done, Doing, Need to do

This week, I held my prospectus meeting. My comittee members were in attendance and we really started to grind out the details of the study. Some of the feedback I received that will really help:

• No placebo, the subjects will serve as their own control group comparing pre-study data with post-study data.
• This will give me the chance to have larger groups when divided into physical activity levels
• Find a nutraceutical company to donate the supplements in exchange for their name on the study
• Lots of feedback on how to create the food/exercise/sun exposure frequency questionnaire
• Question a pharmacist about possible drug interactions
• Transport the equipment to the senior centers to do the scans
• Provide "free blood pressure checks" as an added incentive
• If possible, sub-divide the exercise groups by type of exercise (weight-bearing vs non-weight-bearing)

My priorities are:

• Complete the IRB application
• Complete the literature review
• Request the donation of supplements from Nutraceutical Corp., Ogden, Utah
• Contact local senior centers to request volunteers

I have completed:

• IRB Application sans study description--I wanted to get feedback on the rest as I continued to work on the description
• Requested donation of supplements--Nutraceutical Corp. lab manager works at Weber State and will ask the operations manager after I get him a copy of the study description (another reason I want to spend some time on it)
• Started recruiting volunteers among neighbors and friends.--I mentioned my study to a neighbor and she began to list friends of hers who will also like to participate. 30 subjects should be fairly easy to come by, the concern I have will be screening the subject.

I am working on:

• Lit review!
• Study description for IRB and Nutraceutical Corp

Next on the agenda:

• Complete improved consent form
• Create a food and exercise frequency questionnaire to screen volunteers
• Get that Lit review done!
• Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) Grant application

I hope to start the study in November. Donated supplements will really help it to get going. Please give me feedback if you know of any concerns i should consider. Thanks!