Health Foods on Campus
Introduction
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “more than one-third of U.S. adults (35.7%) are obese. Approximately 17% of children and adolescents ages 2-19 years are obese.” The state of Iowa ranks above the national average at 28.4%, leaving the responsibility of changing this epidemic to local communities. According to the Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource August 2010 issue, “the soda demand is so great there is enough to supply [everyone] with more than 52 gallons of soda a year.” The rate of soda and junk food consumption has greatly increased throughout the United States; the Iowa State Campus is not an exception.
Purpose and Scope
As students as Iowa State, we are best fit to research how to change the lifestyles of our peers. In order to decrease the obesity epidemic, we are proposing to assist in changing someone’s routine diet by replacing the vending machine snack options. The existing vending machines have little variety or choice of healthy foods. Furthermore, most beverage-centered vending machines only have water as a choice as a healthy alternative. Giving students the selection of healthy foods will not only lower their risk of obesity during their stay at Iowa State, but it will provide students with the tools to make healthy choices about food once they are away from ISU.
Methods
Our analysis will be derived from three levels; macro-level, meso-level, and micro-level. These different depths of scope will provide us with the most well rounded view of the obesity epidemic, as well as which methods of fixing the problem proves to be most effective. Macro-level analysis will stem from a complete description of the United State’s relationship with obesity, food consumption, and activity levels. From there, research specifically relating to the ISU community will be acquired through sample surveys and an interview with ISU’s Peggy Martin, Director of Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program.
The
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “more than one-third of U.S. adults (35.7%) are obese. Approximately 17% of children and adolescents ages 2-19 years are obese.” The state of Iowa ranks above the national average at 28.4%, leaving the responsibility of changing this epidemic to local communities. According to the Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource August 2010 issue, “the soda demand is so great there is enough to supply [everyone] with more than 52 gallons of soda a year.” The rate of soda and junk food consumption has greatly increased throughout the United States; the Iowa State Campus is not an exception.
Purpose and Scope
As students as Iowa State, we are best fit to research how to change the lifestyles of our peers. In order to decrease the obesity epidemic, we are proposing to assist in changing someone’s routine diet by replacing the vending machine snack options. The existing vending machines have little variety or choice of healthy foods. Furthermore, most beverage-centered vending machines only have water as a choice as a healthy alternative. Giving students the selection of healthy foods will not only lower their risk of obesity during their stay at Iowa State, but it will provide students with the tools to make healthy choices about food once they are away from ISU.
Methods
Our analysis will be derived from three levels; macro-level, meso-level, and micro-level. These different depths of scope will provide us with the most well rounded view of the obesity epidemic, as well as which methods of fixing the problem proves to be most effective. Macro-level analysis will stem from a complete description of the United State’s relationship with obesity, food consumption, and activity levels. From there, research specifically relating to the ISU community will be acquired through sample surveys and an interview with ISU’s Peggy Martin, Director of Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program.
The
References: "Healthy Snacking Benefits." EverydayHealth.com. Web. 18 Apr. 2012. <http://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/meal-planning/healthy-snacking-benefits.aspx>. "Nutrition.com.sg - Healthy Eating - Snack Attacks." Object Moved Boyles, Salynn. "Sodas and Your Health: Risks Debated." WebMD. WebMD, 09 Mar. 2011. Web. 25 Apr. 2012. <http://www.webmd.com/>. Pelch, Anna. "The Health Effects of Soda Consumption." Home. St. Joseph 's Academy. Web. 24 Apr. 2012. <http://scijourner.org/>. Rovner, Alisha J., Tonja R. Nansel, Jing Wang, and Ronald J. Iannotti. "Food Sold in School Vending Machines Is Associated With Overall Student Dietary Intake." Journal of Adolescent Health 48.1 (2011): 13-19. Science Direct. Web. 24 Apr. 2012.