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Research Dossier Price Verity ENC 1102

ABSTRACT This research dossier marks the beginning of the intense research that is to be performed by me in my quest to answer my research question: What are the possible causes of obesity in America. This dossier contains an introduction to the research dossier, a research map, and an annotated bibliography. The intention of this dossier is to help me find sources and practice analyzing them in order to better my researching skills, as well as plan designated times for me to perform the work that will be expected of me throughout the class. Introduction All of us are familiar with the word Obesity and its no secret that the United States of America is quite affected by the words and its results. There are a plethora of articles and journals which debate over what cause the tendency for Americans to build excess body fat. However, let us all ask ourselves some questions to try and figure out the truth behind obesity. For instance, is obesity even a big deal? How frequent is it in the United States as compared to other nations around the world? And if it is really a pressing concern, why is it happening here? Many of us assume its a matter of genetic predisposition where as others just assume that Americans simply consume too much. What else can be a major cause of obesity? Psychological issues? Is American society to blame, or is it American technological innovation? Perhaps its something entirely different such as geographical location. Does it have to be just one reason? Perhaps it would be enlightening to consider the possibility that humans are very complex creatures and that there is more than one or two or even three, four, or five causes to Americas increasing level of obesity. Is obesity even something that is treatable, or is it just a lingering disease? All of these pressing questions and concerns as well as the countrys notorious reputation for the increasing rate of obesity in current times has prompted me research and examine the level of precedence of which the issue currently holds and to question what exactly are the main causes of obesity in Americans, as well as to identify what measures there are that can be taken to reduce obesity in America. As it seems, not all methods of weight loss are too effective, perhaps its worthwhile to try and determine what methods of weight loss really do work? Perhaps different methods work for different people? Is diet and excise even enough? This article is intended follow in the footsteps of others who have touched on the subject of obesity and not only establish one position on what necessarily causes the increasing rate of obesity in America, but by comparing and contrasting the different perspectives and opinions of credible sources, hopefully establish all possible major reasons of what causes obesity in America so that those who may be affected by obesity or those who may be involved with treating others suffering from obesity can use the knowledge presented in this research paper to further better the health of Americans in the future.

Research Map Research Questions: 1. What are all of the possible causes of obesity in America? 2. Where is America right now in relevance to the prevalence of obesity? Keywords: 1. Obesity 2. Diabetes 3. Americans 4. Health 5. Body mass index Types of research: 1. Library 2. Online 3. Field interview (Possibly)

Monday 2/32/9 2/102/16 2/172/23 2/243/2 Work shop Draft annotated Bibliography Due , Peer Review, F2f Conference

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Research(TBA) Library Research(TBA) Course(TBA) Drafting(TBA) Drafting (TBA) Final Draft Research Dossier + Research Proposal due Research(TBA)

3/33/9 Spring Break 3/103/16

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Workshop Draft Rhetorical Analysis

due 3/173/23 3/243/30 3/314/6 4/74/13 RS Paper draft 1 due RS Paper Draft 2 Due Drafting(6PM8PM) RS Paper Draft 3 Due Peer Review, f2f conference Peer review, Rhetorical f2f conference Analysis Due

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Final Draft Argumentative research paper due E-Portfolios due

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Annotated Bibliography A disease or a habit?. (n.d). Washington Times, The (DC) This source is a news article that questions what obesity is, either a disease or a habit. Suggesting that whatever causes obesity may need to result in a change of its definition. This source is a news article of the Washington Times, so it may not be as credible as a journal article or a scholarly article due to the fact that the author most likely doesnt have as much expertise on the matter of obesity as would somebody who would be writing a scholarly article. Friedman, J. (2009). Obesity: Causes and control of excess body fat. Nature, 459, 340-42. This article takes the audience on a tour of obesity. First it defines what obesity is, how prevalent obesity is in the United States. The article interestingly enough claimed that Obesity cannot be classified as an epidemic, as it does not carry from one person to the other. The article also does lean towards the idea that obesity is more so caused by genetic factors rather than social factors and eating habits. (This source shows strong contrast to the other sources that Ive chosen.) Jeffrey M. Friedman is the author of this source. He is a Medical Doctor and he currently has his PhD. His scientific discipline is genetics and neuroscience as found on Howard Hughes Medical Institute. While his vast knowledge on genetics and neuroscience can be beneficial when explaining how the body gains excess fat, it may not capture the big picture of what might be factors beyond genetics, such a social factors of obesity. Levitz, J. (2007). Can Your Friends Make You Fat?. Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition), D1-D4 This source talks about how that since the introduction of many different methods of staying healthy, such as dieting, obesity in America is still growing because obesity is related more so to social habits of Americans. The article provides evidence for its claim though a study conducted by Dr. Nicholas Christakis, lead author of the study at Harvard Medical School. This source comes from The Wall Street Journal which is a very popular source. The credibility can be backed by its use of field research in which it takes the commentary of individuals who relate to the matter at hand. Also, the lead author of the study can be considered credible due to the fact that he works at Harvard, which is famously known as one of the best schools in all of the United States.

Li, C., Chen, S., How, Y., & Zhang, A. (n.d). Benefits of physical exercise intervention on fitness of individuals with Down syndrome: a systematic review of randomized-controlled trials. International Journal Of Rehabilitation Research, 36(3), 187-195. This source was a collection of many different studies which pertained to the effects of exercise intervention with those who suffered from Down syndrome. The analysis of these different studies showed that studies which had different types of intervention methods often had different results relating to the effectiveness on the physical health of the participants of the study. Interestingly enough, some methods of intervention showed significant increase in the physical health of the participants

while others showed practically no difference in the physical health of the participants. This suggests that there are different types of physical exercise which are more effective than others. There were four authors to this article, all of which were graduates of different universities and were well versed in the subject being discussed. The credibility of this source may seem sound, there are many studies in which the source talks about, and the methods used in each of these different studies may have varied which means that the different pieces of information portrayed may not be great for direct comparison. Luke, A., & Cooper, R. (2013). Physical activity does not influence obesity risk: time to clarify the public health message. International Journal Of Epidemiology, 42(6), 1831-1836. The article starts off by labeling obesity as a spreading global epidemic. It also begins its argument by introducing the audience that the public health message is not accurate in what is being understood about the causes of obesity. The authors then claim that from data gathered from the past three to four decades show that neither the expenditure of energy, nor the restriction of calorie intake may necessarily cause a person to become thinner. This source is from The International Journal of Epidemiology. If youre familiar with the phrase Never judge a book by its cover, I feel it safe to invalidate that statement now. This journal article was written by more than one author, both of whom have degrees pertaining to the subject at hand. The rather extreme position taken by these authors does lead me to question where exactly this data is. Unfortunately, to gain access to the rest of the article, a subscription must be attained and fees apply. This is still a good source to look into if itll add a different perspective to the argument of obesity. Okie, S. (2005). Fed up!: winning the war against childhood obesity. United States of America: Joseph Henry (Book) This source is a book Written by Susan Okie which takes a look at childhood obesity and analyzes some of the genetic causes as well as the psychological effects of obesity on children. This source is a book written by Susan Okie, an author who is also known for writing cook books. Her experience with food may suggest that she has a valuable knowledge on obesity and the causes and effects which it has on people (children). Pretlow, R. A. (2011). Addiction to Highly Pleasurable Food as a Cause of the Childhood Obesity Epidemic: A Qualitative Internet Study. Eating Disorders, 19(4), 295-307. doi:10.1080/10640266.2011.584803 This source was an evaluation of an online experiment which intended to help give teens and preteens useful information to help them lose weight. As the study began to fail, the evaluation started to examine why the effort was failing and yielded results which suggested highly pleasurable foods as a cause to the growing problem of obesity in children and teens. This article was written by Robert A. Pretlow. I believe that the strongest aspect of this source would have to be the credibility in which it holds. Since the study was online and anonymous, people who were suffering from weight issues were much more open to speak the truth about their weight and what they

felt in relation to their weight. This gave the researchers the possibility to collect information which was more accurate and also made them able to distinguish between different users via different IP addresses. Over all, the source appears concrete. There is some bias possible however, as 94% of the participants of the study were female. There may be unknown factors which can skew the results. Rahelu, K. K. (2010). Is inactivity the cause of fatness or fatness the cause of inactivity?. Nutrition Bulletin, 35(4), 304-307. doi:10.1111/j.1467-3010.2010.01854.x This article plays on the notorious question What came first, the chicken or the egg?. Only whats being asked in this case is whats causing what in terms of obesity and inactivity. The article starts by stating that as obesity is continuously expected to rise; many studies have found strong correlation between inactivity and obesity. Then the author picks a side to the argument and claims that its discovered evidence to suggest that obesity leads to inactivity, rather than inactivity leading to obesity. An interesting perspective to say the least and yet another new perspective to add to my paper. Not much was able to be found on the author of this article, K. Rahelu. However, I was able to recover some of the other articles which were written by this author and they all pertain to health and nutrition. This leads me to believe that if he or she is such a prolific writer on these topics, then there should be a slip chance of any issues on credibility. Shepherd, A. (2009). Obesity: prevalence, causes and clinical consequences. Nursing Standard, 23(52), 51-58 This source is a questionnaire from The Nursing Standard. This questionnaire is intended to quiz those who are training to become a nurse and offer useful information such as the different health risks associated with obesity, which include but is not limited to hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Alison Shepherd, who is the author of this source, is a tutor in nursing. Based on her profession, this article could be considered very credible. Also, since no opinions are offered in this source, there is little room for any type of bias. All the information is very factual. Study shows greater likelihood of obesity in rural America than urban communities. (2012). Managed Care Outlook, (20). 1. This source is a news article discussing the results of a study which was that those who lived in rural communities were statistically more at risk of becoming obese. One interesting characteristic of this study was that its creators figured out that participants of other studies pertaining to weight and height tended to overestimate their height and underestimate their weight. This study require the heights and weights of their participants to be measured when recorded. Unfortunately, there is no author stated for the article of the text; however, the person who led the study was given. Her name is Christie Befort. She has a PhD, and is an assistant professor of preventative medicine and public health at the University of Kansas. This would imply that she has a lot of knowledge in all things health related and that her study may be considered credible.

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