I will be appearing on Neil Cavuto’s Your World on The Fox News Channel today to discuss whether it is appropriate for our government to fund this research.

The National Institute of Health (NIH) released a list of over 6,000 studies it will be supporting with funds from the stimulus package, also known as the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA). While the vast majority of the research is related to neuroscience, genetics, or diseases such as cancer, tuberculosis, heart disease, and multiple sclerosis, there are a handful of funded scientific studies that involve sexuality.

This set off alarms for some, including the New York Post where yesterday an article declared, “The next fiscal year is set to be one of the friskiest ever in the nation’s science labs, as researchers probe the ins and outs of sex patterns among humans.” In Central New York’s Post-Standard, Tory Mazzola, spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee, was quoted as saying that funding research is an inappropriate use of the stimulus funds: “Because stimulus was sold as a new investment in infrastructure. It was sold as job creating. It was sold as a new way forward for America.”

On the surface it may seem shocking to some people if our tax dollars are paying for “sex” research. Others believe that we should not discount scientific freedom, intellectual curiosity, and the fact that sexuality is a vitally important aspect of being human. Yet when we look further we see that this research is not sexy at all. All of the NIH approved studies include a statement of the public health implications, and all of these statements are available to the public on the NIH website. Most involve work about HIV/AIDS.

In response to a similar controversy, the director of the NIH said, “The research is easy to ridicule if it is taken out of its public health context. The fact is we need to explore a range of research avenues in vulnerable populations around the world to learn the best ways to control the transmission of HIV.” In fact, most scientists consider it very difficult to receive funding from the NIH, because they use the most rigorous peer review process to determine a proposal’s high quality. 

As you’ve most likely heard, the stimulus package is not just about creating jobs. It also provides funds in other areas with the stated goals of enhancing science and technology and expanding educational opportunities. The NIH was given 8 billion dollars to award to researchers. The criteria to receive research funding were related to research having public health implications. Still, you may ask: Will research create jobs? Research funds most often go towards implementing the procedures and evaluation of the study; yet, some jobs will be created as well. Most research studies employ about 3 to 8 people. New employees may be hired who are paid just from the government funding.   Researchers are also funded by their universities, although hiring freezes at many universities have slowed research. While some people may think that university researchers may not be those most in need of stimulus funding, these studies seem to be living up to the stated goals of the stimulus package (whether you support those goals, or not).

While the issue about what should or should not have been in the stimulus package remains hotly debated, the fact is that this money is funding research about health. Our government is certainly not funding research about orgasm, masturbation, or how to have more fun in bed. So, if you are opposed to government funding of s-e-x research you have nothing to worry about this time. The mysteries of sexual pleasure will continue to be cloaked in secrecy. These government funded studies are about public health.

Here are some of the clinical public health related studies that will be stimulus funded, and the rationale for why these involve public health issues. 

 * “Barriers to Correct Condom Use,” Indiana University, amount funded approximately $221,000.

Public Health Relevance Statement: “Sexually transmitted infections (STI), including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), pose significant health risks. Consistent and correct use of condoms can be a highly effective method of preventing the transmission of HIV and many STIs, yet studies show that problems with condom use are common. This project is one of the first to examine under controlled conditions the role of cognitive and affective factors and condom skills in explaining condom use problems in young, heterosexual adult men.”

* “Formative Research to Understand High-risk Community Sex Networks.”, Univeristy of Illinois at Chicago, amount funded approximately, $213, 000

Public Health Relevance Statement: “This study aims to lay the groundwork for understanding the role of substance use in the sexual transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections among a community sample of African American young adults. Understanding the intersection of substance use with dynamics of sexual transmission of disease is important in reducing HIV infection among vulnerable populations.”

 * “Alcohol Use and Health in Young Women,” Syracuse University, amount funded approximately $219,000

Public Health Relevance Statement: “The proposed research will investigate sexual hookups among young women during the transitional first year of college. We will measure the prevalence of hookups, specify the personal and situational factors that increase the risk of sexual hookups, and explore the mental and physical health consequences of hookups, including health outcomes of unwanted sexual experiences/sexual assault, STD incidence, and mental health (e.g., depressive symptoms, self-esteem, psychosomatic symptoms). This research will inform young people, parents, and educators, and facilitate the development of interventions to promote the health of young women.”

 * “Methamphetamine Enhances the Motivation For Female Rat Sexual Behavior.” University of Maryland at Baltimore. Funded amount approximately, $28,000

Public Health Statement: “These aims will provide information regarding the actions of the neurotransmitter systems potentially underlying this enhancement of sexual motivation, which could have implications for the treatment of methamphetamine addiction via pharmacological agents. The potential findings of this research will advance our understanding of drugs of abuse in the induction of sexual drives and behavior, which could have important implications in terms of risky sexual behavior and disease transmission. Methamphetamine use in this country, from the urban centers to the rural towns, is becoming an epidemic that disrupts the family, the community, and society as a whole. One of the motivations for the use of methamphetamine is that it dramatically increases sexual libido, which has been linked to a rise in the rate of sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancies. This proposal, which seeks to understand the ways methamphetamine increases sexual motivation, may be useful in providing an avenue to combat methamphetamine addiction.”

The full list of all 6,000 plus studies is available at National Institutes of Health website.