Soda and Snacks in Schools

¶ … venturing to study the subject of food outlet density and purchasing behavior of high school students. Indeed, the foods that teens have access to and the types of foods in question are seen as major factors when it comes to the quality of diet of children, their propensity towards obesity and so forth. Even high school cafeteria food has met some scrutiny and thus will be the major focus of this research study when it is completed.

Whether the food is healthy or unhealthy will be assessed as well as the ubiquity of food options near the high schools including fast food restaurants and convenience stores (Black, 2012). To state the obvious, many to most of the food options that would exist at those locations is probably not the best but that will be studied and verified as well ("As Kids Docs," 2004). Method Specifically, the point of study will be two or three high schools in Kelowna, British Columbia.

There will be an assessment of the foods that are available and/or are being consumed by the high school students. Rather than a traditional scholarly essay, the results of this study will be presented via a blog that will be updated over time as more and more results come in. Any pictures taken as part of the study will keep anyone in the photos anonymous through face-blurring and the like.

There will also be a compare and contrast with the scholarly literature that exists on the subject, especially as it pertains to the British Columbia and Canada in general. Other Western countries might be mentioned in passing but British Columbia and Canada will be the primary focuses in terms of geography, culture and society. Even with the sources above, one major source of information and perspective will be the students themselves. The author will go to the office of the schools covered.

There will be questions asked about whether they think the food is healthy or unhealthy. Questions about the availability and consumption levels of things like pastries, soda pop and other foods that are commonly considered unhealthy or at least not overly beneficial will be a major point of discussion. Obviously, one particular line of questioning will involve how many vending machines exist on each campus and how extensively they are used and stated on the school's property.

Another question that will be asked is whether the school offers any sort of cooking classes or other learning situations or environments that help people buy or even prepare healthier meals rather than relying on unsafe snacks and/or meal staples like McDonald's and the like. The interviews mentioned above will not be too numerous. However, each school will be assessed for a solid week at a time. In other words, the overall time that will be spent researching will be two to three weeks, not counting weekends.

There will be another week or so spent assembling, preparing and blogging the data to the people that will be reading the blog as the results come out. It will be very important to be present when volume is at its busiest and thus that will be one of the very first things asked of the schools. The author will make sure to be present when those times happen. For example, lunch hour and any other periods of time where students have a good amount.