Equity and Excellence in Research Funding

The tension between equity and excellence is fundamental in science policy. This tension might appear to be resolved through the use of merit-based evaluation as a criterion for research funding. This is not the case. Merit-based decision making alone is insufficient because of inequality aversion, a fundamental tendency of people to avoid extremely unequal distributions. The distribution of performance in science is extremely unequal, and no decision maker with the power to establish a distribution of public money would dare to match the level of inequality in research performance. We argue that decision makers who increase concentration of resources because they accept that research resources should be distributed according to merit probably implement less inequality than would be justified by differences in research performance. Here we show that the consequences are likely to be suppression of incentives for the very best scientists. The consequences for the performance of a national research system may be substantial. Decision makers are unaware of the issue, as they operate with distributional assumptions of normality that guide our everyday intuitions.     

Ethnic Differences in Drinking Motives and Alcohol Use Among College Athletes

This study examined drinking motives, alcohol use, and alcohol‐related problems among White college athletes and college athletes of color (N = 113). Results indicated no differences in drinking motives between the 2 groups. White athletes reported higher levels of alcohol use, whereas athletes of color reported higher levels of alcohol‐related problems. Athletes of color with high levels of coping and conformity motives reported the highest level of alcohol‐related problems.     

Physical activity recommendations and cardiovascular disease risk factors in young Hispanic women

Despite the benefits associated with regular physical activity, there is little epidemiological evidence to support positive health outcomes when meeting physical activity guidelines in high-risk ethnic groups, such as Hispanic women. We compared cardiovascular disease risk factors between young Hispanic women who meet and those who do not meet current physical activity guidelines. Height, weight, waist circumference, and blood pressure were measured in 60 Hispanic women aged 20-39 years. Lipids, C-reactive protein, insulin, and glucose were assessed. Body composition and cardiovascular fitness were assessed by BodPod and maximal oxygen uptake (VO?(max)) respectively. Participants wore an accelerometer and average minutes (assessed in 10-min bouts) spent in light, moderate, and hard daily activity for weekdays and weekends was determined. Seventy percent of participants did not meet the recommended physical activity guidelines, whereas 30% did so. Following current physical activity guidelines was associated with significantly lower mean cholesterol (mean ± s: 4.2 ± 0.8 vs. 4.7 ± 0.9 mmol · l?1) and triglycerides (0.7 ± 0.3 vs. 1.1 ± 0.6 mmol · l?1), and higher fat-free mass (43.3 ± 3.8 vs. 40.2 ± 5.1 kg) and relative (40.4 ± 7.6 vs. 35.6 ± 7.0 ml · kg?1 · min?1) and absolute (2.5 ± 0.3 vs. 2.1 ± 0.4 litres · min?1) VO?(max) (P < 0.05). These findings suggest an improved health status in women who meet versus those who did not meet current physical activity guidelines.