Synthesis Matrix #1

Research Project #3

What is your research question? Have you decided to change it at all? And, if you have, how do I know that the way in which this question is formulated is appropriate to conduct a literature review with a systematic approach?

- My research question is : How does the proximity and price of foods affect obesity in low income families and the upper class? Also, how are other people in the food industry chain affected? I haven't decided to change it at all because I like the direction that I am headed in.

Article #1:

Ghosh-Dastidar, B., Cohen, D., Hunter, G., Zenk, S. N., Huang, C., Beckman, R., & Dubowitz, T. (2014). Distance to Store, Food Prices, and Obesity in Urban Food Deserts. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 47(5), 587-595. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2014.07.005

The source that I used above is an acquisition of data that was collected by researchers. This kind of source is relevant to my topic because it directly answers my research question. It explains how low income families/ areas and distance affect obesity directly. The data that they collected shows that their is a positive correlation between obesity and price/distance of supermarkets. Also, it uses quantitative data that is concreate and accurate, which is important for my research. This source will be used in my research portion of my literature review in many ways. First, by answering my research question. I have it clearly stated that proximity and price of foods affect obesity and this is concreate evidence that it does. Secondly, I want to use this information to expand on these ideas of proximity and price. I want to make it clear that these are main factors that affect obesity. While working with source, I found it interesting that the marketing of junk foods in supermarkets was way higher than healthy foods.

Article #2:

Boyland, E. J., & Whalen, R. (2015). Food advertising to children and its effects on diet: review of recent prevalence and impact data. Pediatric Diabetes, 16(5), 331-337. doi:10.1111/pedi.12278

The source that I used above is a research method that uses many techniques that include quantitative data and observations. This kind of source is directly relevant to my topic, not because it answers my research question, but because it is another factor that affects obesity and discusses food environment. It explains how television advertisements can have a negative impact on childhood obesity. Most commercials for food are fast food chains that don't offer healthy choices. These messages become planted in children's brains and affect the kids and parents directly. This source will be used in the research portion of my literature review to explain how easily manipulated Americans are when it comes to food. Also, I want to use it to expand on how much the food environment affects us. While I was reading through the source, I found it interesting how policy makers are trying to control the types of advertisements that promote nutrient poor foods.

Article #3:

Michimi, A., & Wimberly, M. C. (2010). Associations of supermarket accessibility with obesity and fruit and vegetable consumption in the conterminous United States. International Journal of Health Geographics, 9(1), 49. doi:10.1186/1476-072x-9-49

This source uses the research method of demographic surveys and observations. This source is directly relevant to my topic because it covers the topic of supermarket foods and what is available to the general public. They explain that limited access to supermarkets reduces the intake of healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables. It also explains that obesity may be impacted by more than supermarket access. They claim that it could be du to social or cultural differences. I want to use this source in the research portion of my literature review to explain that supermarkets play a huge role in the obesity epidemic. Also, I want to use it to expand on my idea of many factors coming together to affect obesity. While I was doing my reading, I found it was interesting how metropolitan areas were more affected my supermarket distance.

Article #4:

Brophy-Herb, H. E., Horodynski, M., Contreras, D., Kerver, J., Kaciroti, N., Stein, M., . . . Lumeng, J. C. (2017). Effectiveness of differing levels of support for family meals on obesity prevention among head start preschoolers: the simply dinner study. BMC Public Health, 17(1). doi:10.1186/s12889-017-4074-5

The source that I used above is an intervention study method. This source is directly relevant to my topic because it explains how parents can affect children's diets. This study explains how family meals should be implemented to decrease the number of childhood obesity cases. They explains how family meals can help families eat healthier and spend more time together. I want to use this source in my research portion of my literature review to expand on how parents have a huge say in what kids eat. If you promote healthy foods and limit the amount of junk foods given to children, they will benefit and it will leave you accountable for your diet as well. Also, I want to use this to explain how low income families are more affected by obesity. As I was reading through this source, I found it interesting how prevention is starting to become a large part of the obesity epidemic.

Article #5:

Koski, M., & Naukkarinen, H. (2017). Severe obesity, emotions and eating habits: a case-control study. BMC Obesity, 4(1). doi:10.1186/s40608-016-0138-9

The research method used in the source above is a case control. This is directly relevant to my topic because it is another explanation for obesity. In the study, they took a group of people and explained that obesity could be caused by emotions. People who experienced bad things in their past or were depressed tended to eat more. They found that eating habits were caused by these emotions. I want to use this in the research portion of my literature review to explain that eating habits and emotions can be connected to my research question. I want to make it clear that obesity can be affected by many things, but it all relays back to prices, proximity, and income. As I was reading through the source, I found it interesting how people who started having bad eating habits struggled to stray away from them.

In class work 2/3- 2/6

Research Project #2

What is your topic? Or what are your key words thus far?

My topic is how supermarket access and prices affect obesity. Also, how food production affects people who work in farm fields and how low income families differ from upper class in terms of healthy food options. Keywords I am using are obesity, food environment, income, food prices and access.

What is your research question? Have you decided to change it at all? And, if you have, how do I know that the way in which this question is formulated is appropriate to conduct a literature review with a systematic approach? 

My research question is: How does the proximity and price of foods affect obesity in low income families and the upper class? Also, how are other people in the food industry chain affected? I have decided to change my question a little bit because I found interesting information on the treatment of workers in farm fields. I know that this question is appropriate to conduct a literature review because there are journals supporting my idea.

And what are the definitions on which it depends?

The definitions on which my research depends are:

Ethnography: This is utilizing observations and face to face interviews to collect relative and useful information on the topic. It will enable me to expand my research and help my focus of keywords.

Food Environment: This is a broad term for the foods that we are surrounded by in our supermarkets and other locations. How and where we get them from is also a large deal when we are discussing food environment.

Income: Described as how much a family/ single parent makes within a typical year. Has a huge effect on how adults and their children eat.

Obesity: To many people this is seen as a small problem, but with research we realize it is a widespread epidemic that kills many of Americans every year. This is a very general term that has a lot of meaning when talking about public health issues.

What is your hierarchy of evidence? And how do I know you going about finding the most appropriate evidence/method for your research question?

Ethnography
Cohort Studies
Policies
Food Environment
Income
Obesity
Prevention

Article #1: Ethnography

Bombak, A. (2015). “Obesities”: Experiences and perspectives across weight trajectories. . Acedemic Search Premier, 24(3). Retrieved February 10, 2017.

Article #2: Policies

Roberts, P. (2009). Spoiled. Acedemic Search Premier, 34(2), 28-36. Retrieved February 10, 2017.

Article #3: Food Environment

Mcinerney, M., Csizmadi, I., Friedenreich, C. M., Uribe, F. A., Nettel-Aguirre, A., Mclaren, L., . . . Mccormack, G. R. (2016). Associations between the neighbourhood food environment, neighbourhood socioeconomic status, and diet quality: An observational study. BMC Public Health, 16(1). doi:10.1186/s12889-016-3631-7

Article #4: Income

Nakhimovsky, S. S., Feigl, A. B., Avila, C., O’Sullivan, G., Macgregor-Skinner, E., & Spranca, M. (2016). Taxes on Sugar-Sweetened Beverages to Reduce Overweight and Obesity in Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review. Plos One, 11(9). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0163358

Article #5: Prevention

Clarke, B., Swinburn, B., & Sacks, G. (2016). The application of theories of the policy process to obesity prevention: a systematic review and meta-synthesis. BMC Public Health, 16(1). doi:10.1186/s12889-016-3639-z

Older and Wiser

Research Project #1

What is your topic? Or what are your key words thus far?

My topic for this project is mainly focused on obesity and how supermarket access and price reflects weight gain. Also, how the people view the prices of foods that are being provided to them at these supermarkets. My key words for my search have been: obesity, supermarkets, price, proximity, and food environment.

What is your research question? Have you decided to change it at all? And, if you have, how do I know that the way in which this question is formulated is appropriate to conduct a literature review with a systematic approach? 

My research question is: How does proximity and price of foods affects obesity in the United States? and How can we reverse the negative affects of junk food being provided to Americans? I have decided to change my research question frequently because the articles I was finding didn't progress my research any further. I also became bored with the question, so I decided to switch it up.

And what are the definitions on which it depends?

The definitions on which my research depends are:

Cohort study- Evidence has shown us that obesity is becoming a lifestyle for many Americans. This type of method allows scientists to observe how these changes are happening in a more realistic and less controlled environment. This will also help explain if there is a link between the factors I stated in my question.

Inferential Statistics- My research is expanding to a very large population of people and needs a more general background. This type of data will help me explain the obesity epidemic as a whole and not just for certain races or lower income families.

Ethnography- Our culture in America relies heavily on food and access to quick and easy foods. This type of method will help me observe how people in a community share eating habits. Also, eating is a daily behavior, and this method really pushes for observations and interviews.

What is your hierarchy of evidence? And how do I know you going about finding the most appropriate evidence/method for your research question?

My hierarchy of evidence is as follows:
Cohort study
Sample
Ethnography
Inferential Statistics
Policies

My question has many parts, so my methods are pretty much going to be based on statistics and observations. I am sure that I will be looking at a lot of articles that have studies and interviews with a large group of people. Also, I may end up looking into policy because my questions could already have policies that are in place.

How do I know that the remit of the method itself is selecting the research, rather than just you on a whim? + 1 thing you found interesting + how you imagine using the source

Article #1: Inferential Statistics

Hippel, P. V., & Benson, R. (2014). Obesity and the Natural Environment Across US Counties. American Journal of Public Health, 104(7), 1287-1293. doi:10.2105/ajph.2013.301838

The article is directly related to my paper because it uses the method of inferential statistics to explain obesity. The study that is used has country-level data to explain multiple factors that play into obesity, such as the surroundings. I found it interesting how the environment like summer and winter weather effected how much people gained weight. Also, I would imagine myself using this article to show that obesity isn't just influenced by low income, but many things people try to ignore or do not know about.

Article #2: Policies

El-Sayed, A. M., & Galea, S. (2015). Calorie Offsets: Environmental Policy for the Food Environment. American Journal of Public Health, 105(8). doi:10.2105/ajph.2015.302678

This article will be useful for my paper because it explains policies that are being implemented to stop the production of unhealthy, processed foods. There have been many new policies that have been put into place about poor quality and labeling, but this will provide people with power to choose healthier foods. Policy makers are coming up with new, creative ideas to curve obesity. I find it interesting that policies already exist, but obesity has become more and more of a problem. This article also explains why policy is a good method for me to use in my paper. It shows the reader that even though there have been things implemented, there is always room for new ideas. I would imagine myself using this in my paper as a main topic and good argument point.

Article #3: Sample

Gibson, D. M. (2011). The Neighborhood Food Environment and Adult Weight Status: Estimates From Longitudinal Data. American Journal of Public Health, 101(1), 71-78. doi:10.2105/ajph.2009.187567

The article above uses the method of sampling. The researcher recorded years of data on adults and zip-code data. He found that people who lived in areas with smaller grocery stores tended to be more obese because the store offered more unhealthy choices then big companies did. It is important for this to be noted because many people live in smaller, urban areas. I found it interesting that people wouldn't meet calorie needs because they did not like the options they had. I feel like this will be useful in my paper to further explain how food environment really can affect obesity and can make someone very picky. Also, I want to use this as an alternative method to sampling with large groups and compare and contrast the two.

Article #4: Cohort study

Fildes, A., Charlton, J., Rudisill, C., Littlejohns, P., Prevost, A. T., & Gulliford, M. C. (2015). Probability of an Obese Person Attaining Normal Body Weight: Cohort Study Using Electronic Health Records. American Journal of Public Health, 105(9). doi:10.2105/ajph.2015.302773

This article is a good example of cohort study that will be important for my paper. This study review a group of men and women and tracked how long and what the probability was of them being able to lose weight once they were obese. They realized that once an obese person has gained so much weight, it is almost impossible for them to lose weight, unless they change their whole diet and exercise. This research is important for my paper to emphasize how important food environment is. I find it interesting that the men would be able to lose weight faster. I can imagine using this in my paper to emphasize main points.

Article #5: Ethnography

Snipes, S. A., Thompson, B., O'connor, K., Shell-Duncan, B., King, D., Herrera, A. P., & Navarro, B. (2009). “Pesticides Protect the Fruit, but Not the People”: Using Community-Based Ethnography to Understand Farmworker Pesticide-Exposure Risks. American Journal of Public Health, 99(S3). doi:10.2105/ajph.2008.148973

This study uses the method of ethnography. The study included observations, semistructed interviews, and detailed notes to explain how pesticides harmed workers who were in fields. They concluded that these pesticides should be handled carefully and workers should be protected. They also found that these worries should come second to financial obligations. I want to use this in my article to explain that food doesn't just harm consumers, but people who handle the food as well. I think it is interesting how workers really want to express these feelings to reporters. I could imagine using this in my paper to explain the cycle of people that are affected negatively by food.