English 102 - Spring 2009

This study analyzed the acceptance of a school cafeteria based program called "Kid's Choice", where students are given increased amounts of healthy vegetables and fruits in their lunch meals. Results were compared between those who were overweight and those considered average-weight. The study found that both groups were equally accepting the program and would continue the program after the 1 month trial. This study would help my research because it shows that children who are overweight are, in fact, willing and able to make positive changes in their diets to improve their body weight and overall health.

This research was conducted between 12 young obese male students. A series of mental tests as well as a physical abilities test was administered and results were compared to those of healthy-weighted boys of the same age. Results showed no difference between mental tests of obese and normal boys, however the Wisconsin card sorting test demonstrated that obese boys had more difficulty as the test involved continuous shifting of the body. I do not find this study beneficial to my research. It provides factual information, but I feel that it could only serve to demonstrate how obesity can cause negative effects within young children.

Rolls conducted a unique experiment to test the effect of varying plate sizes on the amount of energy consumed within the chosen servings. This experiment was conducted in a laboratory setting over the course of 2-3 weeks. It was found that there was not a correlation between plate size and the amount of energy consumed. Results did show that overall, men consumed more than women. This study is beneficial to my research because it analyzes the unique factor of plate size and how it relates to food consumption.

Buckley's investigation of consumer choices regarding convenience foods was conducted in Great Britain in 2002. His study included grocery store customers completing a questionnaire that consisted of quantitative response options. The results of this research help the food industry understand the reasons why people make choices for convenience foods. Interestingly, an increase in overall salaries of people in Great Britain have led to more people dining out. The main reason for people choosing convenience foods over healthy foods was found to be a combination of time saving tactics when purchasing foods in the grocery store.

Scheibehenne conducted computerized surveys in a mall food court in Berlin, Germany. In a controlled setting, 20 different platter options of food were presented and customers were able to choose their meal freely. After choosing, they completed a computerized survey called an FCQ of food choice questionnaire. The unique purpose of this study was to determine the level in which humans make food choices based on heuristics, or "rule of thumb" choices. Interestingly, the results from this study show that the heuristic choices that humans make are just as significant as any other reason for making food decisions. This suggests that nutrition labels on a cereal box, for example, may not be influencing humans as much as the heuristic approach to food choice.

Kwate's research primarily served to analyze the density of fast-food restaurants in New York City with a focus on the correlations of race and economic status or income on restaurant density. This research is especially beneficial to me because the data from this source is from the perspective of a United States major city. Results from this study showed that there were more restaurants in black areas than there were in white areas. Also economic status or income of the population did not seem to have a correlation with fast-food restaurant density.

Pearce conducted research throughout the country of New Zealand. The purpose was to study the relationships between how easily accessible fast-food restaurants are to the consumer and the effects of having a proper recommended nutritional diet. Surprisingly, this study suggested that neighborhood access to fast-food restaurants is not a likely factor in unhealthy diets. I may not use this study in my research paper, as I feel that it does not provide conclusive "either or" results.

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This article is written by David Keeling, a geographer, who is a member of the American Geographical Society writers circle. It is about how a lack of geographical will limit what Americans can do in a global world. It als mentions education of it in high school and college.

This article from Direction's Magazine online was written by Alexander Murphy who is a professor of geology at the University of Oregon. This article talks about how America's lack of knowledge about the wolrd is a negative thing since we are in a position of strength in it. It uses knowledge about Iraq during the war as an example.

This article evaluated the effects of stress, rumination, forgiveness, and hope of two 8 week, 90-min a week training program for college undergraduates in meditation based stress management tools. The article concluded that meditation based stress management practices reduces stress as well as enchance forgiveness among college undergraduates.

This article examines Natural Stress Relief meditation, which is a mental technique which is practiced for 15 minutes twice a day, aims to reduce stress and anxiety by eliciting a specific state of physiological rest along with mental alertness. The meditation is taught in a self-administered program. This was administered to 25 participants four times over a 3 week period. The article concluded that the difference in Trait Anxiety score between pretreatment and before starting the practice was not significant, while it was significant both after the first week of practice.

This article discussed a survey done at a large, southeastern university in which 223 graduate students completed a survey about factors that contributed to their stress. They also discussed different coping strategies between males and females, as well as other ways to reduce stress levels.

This article describes a curriculum designed to assist 64 post baccalaureate minority students in developing and practicing a stress-management technique. Students participated in deep breathing meditation exercises in two classes and they completed surveys before and after as well as follow-up surveys each academic year. This article concluded that this technique provided the students with a promising solution for academic and professional situations.

This article was written by Dr. Norman Berdichevsky who has a Ph. D in geology. It goes into detail about American's lack of knowledge when it comes to geography.