Works Cited

B, D'Andra. Baton Rouge Lauded for Battling Childhood. Digital image. Redsticknow.

N.p., 06 Dec. 2012. Web. 20 May 2013.

“Childhood Obesity Facts.” Cdc.gov. 14 May 2013.

<http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/childhood.html>.

Chou, Joey and Kane, Jason. “Obesity in America: By the Numbers.”Pbs.org. 2013. 26 Mar 2013.

<http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2012/05/obesity-in-america-by-the-numbers-1.html>.

Denise. Obesity in Children: Desperation for Substance. Digital image. A Distinctive

World. N.p., 18 Mar. 2011. Web. 20 May 2013.

http://www.outsmarthormones.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/obesity_epidemic.jpg

Denise. Obesity in Children: Desperation for Substance. Digital image. A Distinctive

World. N.p., 18 Mar. 2011. Web. 20 May 2013.

“Fast Food Facts in Brief.” Fastfoodmarketing.org. 2013. 03 March 2013.

<http://www.fastfoodmarketing.org/fast_food_facts_in_brief.aspx>.

“Fast Food Facts in Brief.” Fastfoodmarketing.org. 2013. 03 March 2013.

<http://www.fastfoodmarketing.org/fast_food_facts_in_brief.aspx>.

"Fast Food Statistics." Statistic Brain. N.p., 20 Apr. 2013. Web. 19 May 2013.

<http://www.statisticbrain.com/fast-food-statistics/>.

“Fast Food Statistics.” Statisticbrain.com. 03 March 2012. 03 March 2013.

<http://www.statisticbrain.com/fast-food-statistics/>.

 “Fast Food Statistics.” Statisticbrain.com. 03 March 2012. 03 March 2013.

<http://www.statisticbrain.com/fast-food-statistics/>.

Fast Food Targeted Marketing. N.p.: n.p., n.d. PDF.

<http://www.fastfoodmarketing.org/media/FastFoodFACTS_TargetedMarketing.pdf>.

Fisher, Danielle. “How much can you save by not eating fast food?” Howstuffworks.com.

2013. 13 May 2013.

<http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/menus/how-much-can-you-save-by-not-eating-fast-food2.htm>.

Flickr. Childhood Obesity in America. Digital image. SteadyHealth. SteadyHealth, 13 Sept.

2010. Web. 16 May 2013.

Fromer, Marc, and Michael Merolla. Obesity. Digital image. MAP. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 May 2013.

Fruits and Vegetables. Digital image. Healthy Mind, Healthy Body and Happy Soul. N.p., 27

July 2011. Web. 27 May 2013.

Gmlsc. “Fast Food Ads Versus The Real Thing.” Online video clip. Youtube. Youtube,

26 Apr. 2009. Web 21 May. 2013.

Heart Jump Rope. Digital image. Dalraida Elementary School Panther Pride Association...it's a

PRIDE Thing. N.p., 27 Feb. 2013. Web. 27 May 2013.

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6Tx7Zw_IPE>.

Isaacs, Scott. “Obesity Epidemic: Part One.” Outsmarthormones.com. 2013. 13 May 2013.

<http://www.outsmarthormones.com/2011/04/06/epidemic/>.

Johnson, Carla K. Little-exercise. Digital image. Center for Behavioral Medicine &

Psychology. Chicago CBM, 5 Apr. 2010. Web. 27 May 2013.

Linn, Ricky. Obesity in America. Digital image. Colassal: Art & Visual Ingenuity. Christopher

Jobson, 18 Oct. 2010. Web. 14 May 2013.

Linn , Ricky. Obesity in America . 2010. Photograph. n.p. Web. 18 May 2013.

<http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2010/10/obesity-in-america-by-ricky-linn/>.

“McDonalds Reveals how Fast Food in Advertisements Look so Yummy: Video.” Inquisitr.com.

02 February 2013.

Meghan. Fast-food-obesity-big. Digital image. Fitnessmash. N.p., 27 Mar. 2011. Web. 19 May 2013.

<http://www.inquisitr.com/258829/mcdonalds-reveals-how-fast-food-in-advertisements-look-so-yummy-video/>.

Michelle, Berg. Hunger=Obesity? Digital image. Food Bank News. N.p., 15 Jan. 2013.

Web. 21 May 2013.

Mindful Motion Physical Therapy. Digital image. Mindful Motion Physical Therapy. N.p., 29

May 2012. Web. 27 May 2013.

Minkin, Tracy and Renaud, Brittani. “America’s Top 10 Healthiest Fast Food Restaurants.”

Health.com. 19 Feb 2009. 15 May 2013. 

<http://www.health.com/health/article/0,,20411588,00.html>.

Morrison, Maureen. “Kids Seeing More Fast-Food Ads?” Ebscohost.com. 29 Apr 2013.

<http://web.ebscohost.com/src/detail?sid=206b39ea-1ec7-42b6-88d1-37518b89fd09%40sessionmgr112&vid=9&hid=120&bdata=JnNpdGU9c3JjLWxpdmU%3d#db=ulh&AN=55170461>.

N.P. “Win the Obesity War… By Banning TV Ads?” Ebscohost.com. 23 Apr 2013.

<http://web.ebscohost.com/src/detail?vid=3&sid=05d3d6cc-130e-4e31-920a-ac69231af4c6%40sessionmgr114&hid=103&bdata=JnNpdGU9c3JjLWxpdmU%3d#db=hxh&AN=35836515>.

Obesity. Digital image. Obesity. Health Media Ventures, Inc., n.d. Web. 16 May 2013.

“Overweight and Obesity.” Cdc.gov. 12 May 2013. 

<http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html>. 

 “Overweight and Obesity.” Heart.org. 2011. 03 March 2013.

<http://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heart-public/@wcm/@sop/@smd/documents/downloadable/ucm_319588.pdf >.

 “Overweight and Obesity.” Heart.org. 2011. 03 March 2013.

<http://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heart-public/@wcm/@sop/@smd/documents/downloadable/ucm_319588.pdf >.

Patrick, Maggy. “One Food Critic Is Making Healthy Oatmeal His Mission.” Go.com. 25 Feb 2011. 15 May 2013.

<http://abcnews.go.com/US/mcdonalds-wholesome-oatmeal-healthy/story?id=12980427#.UZQa16PD_IU>.

Powell, Lisa. J., Szczypka, Glen and  Chaloupka, Frank, J. “Trends in Exposure to

Television Food Advertisements Among Children and Adolescents in the United States.” Jamanetwork.com. 2013. 18 Apr 2013.

<http://archpedi.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=383707>.

Romanski, Dionne J. "Fast Food Advertising: The Reason for Obesity?" Dionne's I-Search Blog.

N.p., 7 Mar. 2013. Web. 23 May 2013.

<http://romanskiisearch.blogspot.com/>.

Romanski, Dionne. “Obesity.” Animoto.com. 2013. 27 Mar 2013.

<http://animoto.com/play/HrKbSiZZXv89fre4mVWZegm>.

Semmen, Kendra. Running on a Tread Mill. Digital image. Knight News. N.p., 20 Nov.

2012. Web. 27 May 2013.

“The Impact of Food Advertising on Childhood Obesity.” Apa.org. 28 January 2013.

<http://www.apa.org/topics/kids-media/food.aspx>.

Twogood4you1088. “Fast food and Children [Powerful] Advertisement” Online video

clip. Youtube. Youtube, 23 Apr. 2011. Web. 22 May. 2013.

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0K3F_53Sn34>. 

Youtube Link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkTpnAu4STI

Problem and Solution

         Obesity has been a problem ever since fast food was created. Fast food has influenced Americans weight and health choices. In today’s society, people are always on the go. Fast food has become a convenience rather than a place to go to once in a while.  Fast food advertising plays a big role in how people choose where to eat. There are alternatives you can do to avoid being sucked into a low quality meal.  Advertising influences obesity, by specifically advertising low prices to target families with low income, targeting children and young adults, and also false advertising their products, but there are simple solutions to help lessen the obesity epidemic.

            America was once known as the wealthiest countries in the world, but there are still people trying to make ends meet. Families struggle to put food on the table, but have a few bucks to feed their family on the value menu at McDonalds. Fast food companies know that there are people who can only afford eating at their establishments, so they advertise their dollar menus. The dollar menu grabs a person’s attention, because it means that a cheap meal will take care of their calorie intake for the day.  Families jeopardize their health in order to feed their hungry children

A solution for families, who cannot afford to feed their family, is to buy fresh foods to prepare a home cooked meal. Another alternative is to buy canned fruits and vegetables if there is no access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Pay attention to the sales at the grocery store, and buy store brand names rather than the name brand food items. Also, if you are looking to get healthy, then you can eat smaller portions and the food will last longer. This may sound expensive, but with coupons and learning to be a savvy shopper anyone can save money while being healthy too.

Weight tends to add on gradually, and it is not noticed right at the start. Isaac explains that “A survey conducted by Cogent Research found that the average American female is 5 foot, 4 inches and weighs 164 pounds.  This is a BMI of 28, about 40 pounds overweight.  And, half of Americans are more than 40 pounds overweight.” (1) This should alarm many people, because the fatter the body gets, the harder the body will have to work duing simple activities. This alarmed the majority of my respondents when I conducted a survey back in February. (Romanskiisearch). Also, I found that “Most children under age 6 cannot distinguish between programming and advertising and children under age 8 do not understand the persuasive intent of advertising.” (Impact of Food Advertising 1). The Fast food restaurants target young children and young adults, because the persuasive technique will have more influence on them.

Since “Today’s children, ages 8 to 18, consume multiple types of media (often simultaneously) and spend more time (44.5 hours per week) in front of computer, television, and game screens than any other activity in their lives except sleeping” (Impact of Food Advertising 1) So, [Parents should] “Limit excessive time spent watching TV, video, gaming, or surfing the web.” (Impact of Food Advertising 6). There are more options to eat at rather than the usual McDonalds, Wendy’s or Burger King. Panera is considered fast food, but is one of the healthiest places to grab a quick bite. Panera has over 1,230 locations, so there is a good chance one may

be near you. Minkin and Renaud state “Variety makes it easy for everyone to choose healthy,” Panera, is a great option if you are looking to stay healthy. (1)

            Another evil we are battling is false advertising. Many were fooled when McDonalds started to serve oatmeal. Oatmeal is considered to be a healthy filling breakfast choice. McDonalds was all for selling this product to attract people who may want to order healthy foods on their menu. This quote perfectly explains the shared feelings of many "I think it's misleading to portray this as a healthy breakfast because the McDonald's oatmeal has about the same amount of sugar as a Snickers bar, has about the same amount of calories as one of their hamburgers, costs more than one of their hamburgers," Bittman said. "It's just an odd way to go about serving a healthy breakfast." (1) False advertising not only gets the consumers hope up, but misleads their customers into a different direction.

            When you are craving some oatmeal, it would be healthier if you make your own oatmeal at home. You can buy plain oatmeal and if you like maple and brown sugar, you can decide how much to put in it. Also, instead of the regular maple and brown sugar, you can doll it up with some fresh fruits or spices. This is healthier than going out for fast food oatmeal. You will save all the unwanted calories and shed off your weight in no time.

            The fast food industry has dominated America for quite some time now. Fast food advertising plays a critical role in society today. It is not always about having too many fast food places, but how to use your resources. People will be able to overcome this epidemic, by trading processed foods for fresh fruits and vegetables, using coupons, eating at healthier fast food restaurants, and by choosing alternatives when they can. Fast food can become a life style if you are not careful, but before you take a bite into a Big Mac, ask yourself are you willing to eat yourself to death?

    

Works Cited

Fisher, Danielle. “How much can you save by not eating fast food?” Howstuffworks.com.

2013. 13 May 2013.

<http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/menus/how-much-can-you-save-by-not-eating-fast-food2.htm>.

Isaacs, Scott. “Obesity Epidemic: Part One.” Outsmarthormones.com. 2013. 13 May 2013.

<http://www.outsmarthormones.com/2011/04/06/epidemic/>.

Patrick, Maggy. “One Food Critic Is Making Healthy Oatmeal His Mission.” Go.com. 25

Feb 2011. 15 May 2013.

<http://abcnews.go.com/US/mcdonalds-wholesome-oatmeal-healthy/story?id=12980427#.UZQa16PD_IU>.

Romanski, Dionne J. "Fast Food Advertising: The Reason for Obesity?" Dionne's I-Search Blog.

N.p., 7 Mar. 2013. Web. 23 May 2013.

<http://romanskiisearch.blogspot.com/>.

Animoto Video

Make your own photo slideshow at Animoto.

Fast Food Killed Me

As I wake from my slumber

I hear the loud thunder

 Its days like this I reminisce

Of all the fun that I have missed

 

As a child I was always told no

I was told I was too heavy, it felt like a deathblow

I never got to swing on swings

Or even jump on my bedsprings

 

I stop my thoughts cause its time to get ready

My chest is heavy

I drag my legs 

They seem very heavy

 

I look at my reflection

But I don’t see me

I see a girl

Who constantly eats

 

My face is chubby

I’ll never get a hubby

If I changed from the start

Would I be able to look like art?

 

Why do I let myself give in?

To fast food advertisements that always win

I need to escape my thoughts so I head to the car

Trying to go to a place that’s far

 

While I drive I see Ronald

But somehow we end up at McDonalds

I eat my greasy food

In hope that it will brighten my mood

 

The food doesn’t help anything

It just makes me bigger than everything

I say bye to Ronald

And head out McDonalds

 

I’ve gathered my things

But whets that?

I feel a sharp pain

 

Before I knew it, I fell with a thump

Knowing my heart will need a pump

My body will not obey

This could be my very last day

 

Blue and red lights flash around me

I’m in the ambulance

That’s all I know

Will this be the day I go?

 

I’m desperate right now

Its like I’ve been hit with a plow

Clenching my heart

Not knowing where to start

 

I hear murmurs

All around me

But they go away

As I start to fade

 

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Call the doctor!

There is no pulse!

There is no hope

 

I am clothed in white

I think back on my life

If I could I’d go back in time

And I wouldn’t have taken that bite

 

Maybe that would have

Saved my life

I can’t have a redo

I’ll only have people sitting in the pew

 

But who could have blamed me?

For giving in?

It all seemed so right

With each and every bite

 

I am clothed in white

I remember the fright

It will be etched in my head

Cause it was the day my life ended

 

 

 

Fast Food Advertising: The Reason for Obesity?

Hypothesis:

 Obesity in America is something that society struggles with. More and more people are becoming overweight and obese. I personally believe that obesity is an issue that must be taken care of. The root of the problem is that the advertisements we encounter every day for fast food impacts Americans. I believe that we do not realize what an impact it has on us, and I hope to find that the audience thinks that fast food advertising contributes to why Americans are obese.

Context:

My target audience was people ages 15 through 18. I chose this age group, because I feel that by age 15 they know more about advertisements and propaganda, versus a 6 year old. From my pilot testing I learned that I needed to have more yes and no questions, multiple-choice questions and less open-ended questions. On the questionnaire I found out that I repeated one question and left one question out. Even though I repeated a question they did stay consistent with their answer when asked again. I did not include one question, which would have helped me with collecting my data, but none of my questions were biased. My results are reliable because on my final survey all of my questions were on the questionnaire.

Results:

Demographic	Question	Question
14-18Year olds	1. Do you think that obesity is a problem in America? If so, please explain why.	2. On a scale of 1-10, how prevalent is obesity in America? (1= not a lot 10= wide spread)
Answer:	26 out of 28 said yes. The respondents usually said that people are eating too much fast food and that people were lazy.	5-3votes 6-4votes 7-3votes 8-5votes 9-2votes 10-11 votes
	3. Do you think that advertisements for fast food are effective? Do you tend to be easily persuaded?	4. Are you exposed to fast food advertisements on a daily basis? If so, how many do you think you are exposed to per day?
Answer:	Fast food advertisements effectiveness- yes-27 votes   Easily persuaded- yes- 24	Most respondents said they encounter at least 5 advertisements per day up to more than 100.
	5. How many times a week do you go out for fast food?	6. Have you ever received fast food coupons in the mail? If so, have you ever used them?
Answer:	0-1   11 38% 1-3   10 34% 3-4   3 10% 4-5   1 3% 5-6   3 10% 6-7   1 3%	24 respondents said that they have received fast food coupons in the mail, but 10 respondents said that they did not use them.
	7. If there were less commercials and advertisements, do you think that the obesity rate would go down?	8. Are you aware of fast food make up artists?
Answer:	Yes- 12   No-16	Yes   12 43% No   16 57%
	9. Do you think that false advertising contributes to obesity in America?	10. Do you think that fast food companies should advertise what the actual product looks like? Why or why not?
Answer	Yes- 23   No- 5	Yes-25 No- 3   Most respondents said yes, because people should have the right to know what they are actually buying.

Data Analysis:

 When reviewing my data collection to see if fast food advertising causes obesity, I was pleased with my results. Starting with question two, the question asked the respondents to answer on a scale of 1-10, how prevalent is obesity in America? (1= not a lot 10= wide spread.) I was able to see that the majority of the respondents rated obesity as a ten. This was very helpful to me because I was able to get a feel for where they stand on this problem. Research shows that the obesity rate has been steadily rising over the course of years. One statistic from heart.org (The American Heart Association) showed that in 1999-2002 16 percent of 12-19 year olds were obese. From 2005-2008 the obesity rate went up to 17.9 percent. Question five asked the respondents how many times a week they went out for fast food. The majority of the respondents said that they went out at 0-1 times a week; the next majority said 1-3 times a week 3-4 and 5-6 had the next most votes and lastly 4-5 and 6-7 had the least amount of votes. I found out that the average person goes out for fast food at least once a week, from statisticbrain.com. The next most frequent was twice a week, and then three or more times a week and lastly seven times a week. Since the respondent’s most frequent vote was about once per week and the statisticbrain.com had a most frequent as once a week, they resemble each other. This shows that their statistics are like the ones I found.  Also this helps me see the connection of obesity to how many times a week a person eats out for fast food. Question four asked are you exposed to fast food advertisements on a daily basis? If so, how many do you think you are exposed to per day? The respondents answered anywhere from 5 to 100 or more per day. Knowing that the respondents knew that they encounter fast food advertisements was very helpful to me. This was helpful to know because this allows me to get a better understanding on how aware they are in their everyday lives. The people who pay more attention to detail may be less vulnerable to these kinds of advertisements, because they pay close to detail and analyze things. The website fastfoodmarketing.org says that the average preschooler (2-5 years) saw 2.8 TV ads per day for fast food; children (6-11 years) saw 3.5; and teens (12-17 years) saw 4.7. Since the age group I questioned were 14-18 year olds, most of them were very close to the correct answer of 4.7 ads per day. This does not even include the online website advertising, it is safe to say that the average teen faces at least 5 fast food advertisements per day.

Conclusion:

The data I have collected does support my hypothesis. I was pleased to see that the respondents thought that obesity was a problem. I also was pleased to see that most of my respondents thought that fast food advertising was effective. Since my research is on how fast food advertising causes obesity, it was good to know that most of the respondents agreed. Also, on question eight I asked if they were aware of fast food makeup artists, and I was surprised to see that more than half of the respondents were not aware of fast food makeup artists. I was expecting that mostly all of the respondents would be aware of fast food makeup artists. From my data I can conclude that fast food adverting does contribute to obesity.

Follow Up:

 After considering the results from my questionnaire, I have decided to take my research into more depth. I would like to research how our brain works with giving into fast food advertisements. I would like to also like to get people more aware of what goes into the fast food, to help them make their decision of eating less fast food. I do not just want them to be aware of the false advertising, but what is actually in the products.