The EPIC-Norfolk StudyThere were eight participants and six researchers at the May meeting of the Panel as well as the invited speaker.
There were various matters arising from the minutes of the previous meeting in January 2014.
Comments made by the Panel members have been incorporated in the proposed family study questionnaire that should be going out to participants once ethics permission has been obtained.
EPIC’s involvement at the Cambridge Science Festival went well with two busy days at the Corn Exchange and the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. Professor Khaw also gave an interactive lecture, the first that EPIC has organised.
Shabina Hayat updated the Panel about the Confidentiality Advisory Group approvals.
Dietary assessment
Marleen Lentjes, Senior Research Nutritionist at EPIC, gave an interesting talk about dietary assessment in EPIC-Norfolk. She addressed the question of why several different measurements were made of diet and described factors to consider when collecting dietary data and the different methods of collection. Marleen gave examples of seasonal and weekly variations in consumption, changes in participant food choice over time (for all kinds of reasons such as illness and retirement) and looked at patterns of over- and under-reporting. Part of her talk focused on dietary supplement use in EPIC-Norfolk. Cod liver oil was the most frequently taken supplement and women took more supplements than men. She finished by looking at some online methods of collecting dietary data that are being used in other studies.
Newsletter draft
An updated draft of the next planned newsletter was presented. Format and content were discussed.
Addition of GPS measurements
The Panel had discussed the addition of a GPS monitor to the 4HC measurements at a previous meeting. This would be used initially to look at the use of green spaces and leisure/sports facilities. The Panel discussed feedback for participants.
RAPPORT study
EPAP was one of 22 Participant and Patient Involvement (PPI) examples chosen as case studies in this research and Panel members had taken part by giving interviews with researchers. Evaluation of Participant and Patient Involvement will be on the agenda for the meeting in July. Panel members will be asked about their experiences.