OPINION
4A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, MAY 19, 2016
Survey says … research is changing
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STEPHEN A. FORRESTER, Editor & Publisher
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DEBRA BLOOM, Business Manager
HEATHER RAMSDELL, Circulation Manager
Food is Astoria’s
new big thing
Astoria School District takes
control of its food service
sensitive topics that require
and if they don’t recognize
privacy.
it, they don’t answer. Or if
Partly in response to
they do answer, they get off
these challenges, research-
the line as quickly as possi-
ers have begun using pro-
ble — often without wait-
fessionally recruited and
ing to fi nd out what the sur-
maintained panels for regu-
vey is really about.
lar online surveys. The best
A growing refusal to
By ADAM DAVIS
of these consist of people
participate in surveys is the
For The Daily Astorian
of all different demograph-
single biggest development
ics and lifestyles, recruited
the opinion-research indus-
Adam
through different means.
pinion research has helped try is dealing with. The
Davis
Participants receive some
government with planning upshot is that many more
phone numbers are needed to com- form of compensation, similar to the
and policymaking for decades.
plete a valid, statistically reliable sur- honorariums offered to focus-group
But the shifting technologi- vey — so many more that complet- participants.
Long disdained by academics
cal landscape, along with chang- ing a survey with a representative
and
telephone-survey purists, these
sample
of
residents
is
impossible
in
ing demographics and lifestyles,
panels
nevertheless are becoming
many
communities.
There
just
aren’t
are challenging conventional opin-
increasingly common. And done
enough numbers to call.
ion-research techniques, making it
And when people do answer the well — using demographic quotas
more diffi cult to learn what the pub- phone and agree to participate in a and statistical weighting to assure
lic thinks.
survey, it’s more diffi cult to keep representative samples — online
Government offi cials need to them on the line as long as in the past. panels should be accepted as a legit-
become aware of these changes and Our era of sound bites and 140-char- imate sample source for public-sec-
their impacts on research
acter tweets makes it hard tor surveys. In fact, they offer certain
methodologies, validity,
to complete the lengthy advantages over telephone surveys,
The
statistical relatability, cost
questionnaires that gov- including the ability to display visu-
and project timelines.
offi cials are als, such as pictures and maps; to
biggest ernment
Telephone
polling
used to fi elding in their collect verbatim responses to open-
has long provided pub- change? efforts to gather in-depth ended questions, yielding more valid
lic offi cials with valuable
content analysis; and to use tradeoff
information.
information. Phone sur-
Well,
The rise of the cell- techniques — pressing respondents
veys have asked voters
phone represents a third to choose between key variables
about ballot measures for what do cultural shift. More than — that are not possible with tele-
road-maintenance fund-
4 in 10 Americans rely phone-surveys. They are also less
you do on
ing; state or city residents
cellphones alone with expensive.
The evolution of new approaches
about affordable-housing
no
residential landline,
when
options; neighborhood res-
and the rate is even higher and blending conventional and new
your
idents about higher-den-
among young adults and methodologies to adapt to and take
sity development; and
communities of advantage of social and technological
phone some
change is good news for government
business leaders about the
color.
offi cials. Knowing what the pub-
importance of promoting
This
change
has
made
rings? survey research more lic thinks about what government is
international trade. Focus
groups and other forms
expensive. Federal regula- doing — and is thinking about doing
of qualitative research have sup- tions require that cellphone numbers — is as important as ever.
Adam Davis, who has been con-
ported survey questionnaire develop- be dialed manually, as opposed to
ment and helped to elaborate survey using the auto-dialers that reach land- ducting opinion research in Oregon
fi ndings.
line numbers. Interviewers also must for more than 35 years, is a found-
All of this is changing.
screen respondents to ensure they are ing principal in DHM Research, a
The biggest change? Well, what do in a safe place, and catch them when nonpartisan and independent fi rm in
you do when your phone rings? More they are available to talk for possibly Portland and Washington, D.C. Visit
and more, people look at the number an extended period about potentially www.dhmresearch.com
Why it’s getting
more diffi cult to
learn what the
public thinks
O
ews that two regionally sourced butcher shops plan to
locate in Astoria marks a certain coming of age. Or per-
haps it is the culmination of something tha t began some 25
years ago.
Food is basic to human and across the Columbia in
existence. So why is it that Pacifi c County. And beer
we pay so much more atten- brewing — a form of food
tion to it these days? The production — is rampant
farm -to -table movement, the and proliferating.
The Astoria
School
proliferation of farmers mar-
kets and the national debate District has recently con-
about genetically modifi ed tributed to the discussion by
crops are elements in what ending its contract with the
might be called America’s Vancouver-based food ser-
vice fi rm Chartwells. Instead,
food awakening.
Astoria has become the district has hired a former
remarkable among Oregon Coast Guard culinary spe-
small towns for the number cialist. Michael Kelley will
and range of its restaurants. oversee four cafeterias.
With Chartwells, “We had
That was not the case in
1990. As that decade began, no say in what is served,” said GUEST COLUMN
there were no coffee vendors. Astoria Superintendent Craig
One by one, these things Hoppes. Having its own top
changed, beginning with a food manager will give the
By MICHAEL SCHWARTZ
former Starbuck’s employee school district control over
For The Daily Astorian
what Astoria students eat.
who migrated to Astoria.
ecently, President Obama
Now we have a robust That should be good for
outlined an ambitious $1
organic agriculture sector in nutrition and also for a more
billion plan to fi ght the nation’s
our midst — outside Astoria tasty cafeteria cuisine.
N
Opioid-addiction proposal is right step
ing treatment for painkiller
the Department of Health
addiction increased by 900
and Human Services will
percent. This spike is indic-
double the limit, enabling
ative of a trend we need
doctors to treat up to 200
to promptly respond to.
patients.
Since the announcement
This rule is just one
of the federal plan, more
that would respond to
opioid epidemic.
than 60 medical schools
past issues regarding the
have implemented policies
The sizable budget allocated to limited availability of an
requiring students to com-
MAT
medication.
Patients
the plan would increase the access
plete some form of pre-
have
previously
reported
Michael
to substance abuse treatment pro-
scriber education. These
needing to travel hundreds
Schwartz
grams to those who would otherwise of miles in order to receive
programs will be devel-
fi nd paying for and locating suitable the care they require. This is incred- oped in line with the newly released
treatment beyond their means.
ibly unfortunate, given the effective Centers for Disease Control and Pre-
What’s essentially unique about and safe tools we have in our hands vention guidlines.
In my practice, I’ve learned that a
this plan is its acknowledgment of as physicians. With the increased
evidence-based drug treatments patient limit, care will be come more lack of training often results in doc-
tors prescribing opioids for long-
as the life-saving entities they are. widely available.
It is a plan that will now rightfully
The health department has also term pain control. But the ultimate
expand the use of medicated-assisted released new funding to commu- goal for physicians should be to pro-
treatment (MAT) and educate physi- nity health centers across the United vide temporary relief and then begin
cians on how to properly prescribe it. States to help increase addiction to identify and treat the underlying
For those unfamiliar with the treatment services. This particu- sources of pain. This line of thinking
term, MAT is the use of medications lar initiative will focus on expand- is what enhanced training procedures
in conjunction with behavior ther- ing MAT for opioid use disorders can bring about and, consequently,
apies to provide a comprehensive in underserved areas. That is to say result in increased prevention of opi-
approach to the treatment of sub- nearly 124,000 patients will, for the oid overdose.
Overall,
the
government’s
stance use disorders.
fi rst time, have MAT as a treatment
The medications used
option for their opioid use expanded access to evidence-based
treatments like MAT and improved
in this type of treatment
disorder.
Our
— buprenorphine, meth-
In addition, the Sub- education for doctors could be a sav-
adone, naltrexone, nalox-
stance Abuse and Mental ing grace for many addicts.
My hopes are that Congress
one — are all FDA-ap- ‘war on Health Services Admin-
and
other federal entities can work
proved. Studies have
istration
will
be
releasing
drugs’ an $11 million funding together
to put these initiatives into
found that using these
medications to treat
needs opportunity for 11 states action. This means supporting a full
opioid addiction has
to not only expand their continuum of care for addictive ill-
to shift MAT services but pro- nesses as is provided for any other
decreased drug use and
overdose risk, as well as
clinicians with addi- chronic illness, such as both outpa-
focus. vide
reduced the transmission
tional training and guide- tient and inpatient treatments.
Our “war on drugs” needs to
of infectious diseases and
lines for prescribing MAT
shift focus and fi ght to ensure evi-
criminal activity in opioid -addicted medications.
patients.
Of course, improved treatment dence-based treatments reach those
Yet today, only 40 percent of isn’t the only way to fi ght opioid who need reinforcements for their
the 2.5 million Americans who addiction rates, and this is recog- battles against addiction.
Dr. Michael Schwartz is a board
could benefi t from MAT are actu- nized by the Obama administration.
ally receiving it. With Obama’s new
According to research published in certifi ed addiction medicine spe-
funding, this number is set to change. the Annual Review of Public Health, cialist and staff physician at Sun-
Currently, physicians need to the widespread increase in opioid spire Health Astoria Pointe, where
be certifi ed to prescribe buprenor- addiction cases was due to overpre- he oversees the detox program in
phine and can only treat up to 100 scribing of painkillers. In fact, since addition to leading his own private
patients at a time. A proposed rule by 1997, the number of Americans seek- practice.
R
GMOs are not the
villain some believe
T
he controversy over
genetically
modifi ed
organisms will make an inter-
esting chapter in some future
historian’s cultural analysis
of our time. Rarely have so
many worried so much about
so little.
That is the underly-
ing message of a omni-
bus study released this
week by America’s pre-em-
inent National Academy
of Sciences. The academy
found GMOs — largely seed
crops designed to survive
weed and insect sprays, or
imbued with other theoret-
ically useful traits — aren’t
risky to eat.
This fl ies in the face of a
favorite phobia of modern
Western civilization — that
genetic tinkering will in some
manner turn around and bite
us, a trope that fuels count-
less movie and television
scripts. To give worrywarts
their due, carelessly monkey-
ing around with the genetics
of germs would warrant such
concerns. But tweaking corn
and soybeans in minor ways
ought to be close to the least
of our concerns.
On the other hand, the
national academy also punc-
tured much corporate hype
touting GMOs. GMO crops
aren’t a game-changer when
it comes to enhancing crop
yields. “The expectation
from some of the (GMO )
proponents was that we need
genetic engineering to feed
the world, and we’re going
to use genetic engineering to
make that increase in yield
go up faster. We saw no evi-
dence of that,” said the leader
of the academy study.
This month also saw
judicial rejection of local
GMO bans in Jackson
and Josephine counties in
Southwest Oregon, based on
a state law the preempts such
activism.
Neither a magic bul-
let for world hunger nor a
Frankensteinian threat to
our existence, GMOs are a
distraction from far more
important basics of agri-
culture. These include such
unglamorous topics as soil
conservation, protection of
farmland from urban and des-
ert encroachment, improving
worldwide distribution net-
works to stave off famine
and ensuring the adequacy of
fresh water supplies.
We should care about what
our families eat and the con-
sequences of food production
for earth’s plants and animals.
However, it’s time to breathe
easy about the easy villain of
GMOs, and instead refocus
on agriculture’s fundamental
practices and ethics.
Where to write
• U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici
(D): 2338 Rayburn HOB, Washing-
ton, D.C., 20515. Phone: 202- 225-
0855. Fax 202-225-9497. District
offi ce: 12725 SW Millikan Way,
Suite 220, Beaverton, OR 97005.
Phone: 503-469-6010. Fax 503-326-
5066. Web: bonamici.house. gov/
• U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D): 313
Hart Senate Offi ce Building, Wash-
ington, D.C. 20510. Phone: 202-224-
3753. Web: www.merkley.senate.gov
• U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D):
221 Dirksen Senate Offi ce Building,
Washington, D.C., 20510. Phone:
202-224-5244. Web: www.wyden.
senate.gov
• State Rep. Brad Witt (D):
State Capitol, 900 Court Street N.E.,
H-373, Salem, OR 97301. Phone:
503-986-1431. Web: www.leg.state.
or.us/witt/
Email: rep.bradwitt@
state.or.us
• State Rep. Deborah Boone (D):
900 Court St. N.E., H-481, Salem,
OR 97301. Phone: 503-986-1432.
Email: rep.deborah boone@state.
or.us District offi ce: P.O. Box 928,
Cannon Beach, OR 97110. Phone:
503-986-1432. Web: www.leg.state.
or.us/ boone/
• State Sen. Betsy Johnson (D):
State Capitol, 900 Court St. N.E.,
S-314, Salem, OR 97301. Telephone:
503-986-1716. Email: sen.betsy john-
son@state.or.us Web: www.betsy-
johnson.com District Offi ce: P.O.
Box R, Scappoose, OR 97056. Phone:
503-543-4046. Fax: 503-543-5296.
Astoria offi ce phone: 503-338-1280.
• Port of Astoria: Executive
Director, 10 Pier 1 Suite 308, Asto-
ria, OR 97103. Phone: 503-741-3300.
Email: admin@portofastoria.com
• Clatsop County Board of Com-
missioners: c/o County Manager, 800
Exchange St., Suite 410, Astoria, OR
97103. Phone: 503-325-1000.