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Fast Food and Obesity Question: How has the McDonalds company (and fast food in general) affected obesity in America?

As an extension to your questions: Are there differences in prevalence of obesity among black, white, and hispanic populations?--I didn't find anything for this..if you guys can answer it, go ahead but otherwise, obviously, delete it.

Prediction: The increase in the sales of McDonalds have driven up the rate of obesity in America.

Data: Stock Market Prices of McDonalds. graph mcd.xlsx
 * Year || Market Cap ||
 * 1970 || .2747 ||
 * 1975 || .0679 ||
 * 1980 || 1.0427 ||
 * 1985 || 3.2917 ||
 * 1990 || 7.9375 ||
 * 1995 || 19.565 ||
 * 2000 || 30.19 ||
 * 2005 || 31.14 ||
 * 2010 || 70.48 ||

Regression: (When 1970=1, 1975=2,.... 2010=9) r^2= quad:.941 cubic:.954 exp:.944 quart:.9679 linear:.77

y= .099133 x (^4) + -1.78065 x (^3) + 11.7289 x (^2) + -28.2139 x + 19.6317

Obesity Rates in America Regression (1970=1,1975=2,... 2010=9)
 * Year || Percent of Americans ||
 * 1970 || 14.9 ||
 * 1975 || 15.0 ||
 * 1980 || 15.0 ||
 * 1985 || 18.3 ||
 * 1990 || 22.5 ||
 * 1995 || 26.5 ||
 * 2000 || 32.1 ||
 * 2005 || 34.8 ||
 * 2010 || 40.1 ||

quad= .9869 cubic=.9962 quart= .9964 linear=.9706

y= .004167 x (^4) + -.152273 x (^3) + 1.91553 x (^2) + -5.62803 x + 19.0

Once graphing these two regressions on the same graph you find their undeniable similarity.

Questions:

1. How could fast food affect obesity? 2. If the trend continues, what will the percent of obesity be in 2050? 3. How could society fix the problem of obesity?

Answers:

1. It is a commonly known fact that fast food is unhealthy, but one would probably not imagine that it could have such a large impact on the increasing obesity rate in the United States. Seeing that a quarter of Americans, however, consume fast food on a daily basis, this is a likely possibility. In examining the nutrition information for the menu items of one of America's most popular fast food chains (McDonalds), you will find high calorie and fat contents as well as other information indicative of extremely poor nutritional value. In the table above, ten popular menu items are listed. For most of these items, almost or more than half of the calories are from fat. Unfortunately, reducing one's consumption of this unhealthful food is not as simple as resisting the temptation. Research shows that diets with a lot of fattening food chemically alter one's brain such that they are addicted to that kind of food. In a country where most kids recognize the McDonalds logo before their own names, fast food could very well be a large contributor to the obesity problem. 2. In the year 2050, the x will be equal to 17. This makes the y value 76.8264. Over 75% of Americans would be obese if the current trend continues. 3. Society would need to learn to eat healthier and exercise more. Portion control is important and watching the calorie intake on certain foods is a must. Most of the problems of obesity may stem from the fact that much of the less expensive foods are also the least healthiest. This means that people who are trying to save money are unknowingly eating extra calories. Advertising could also help solve the problem.

Conclusion: Sheena: The evidence presented in this investigation suggests that McDonalds, and fast food in general, has played a major role in the increase of obesity among Americans. Before performing and reviewing this research, I would not have believed that fast food itself could have such an impact. While many other factors, including lack of exercise, overeating, and poor nutritional choices aside from fast food, are involved in the obesity problem, the strong correlation between the change in the stock prices for McDonalds and the change in obesity rates has led me to believe that fast food consumption among Americans is in a fact a leading cause. This correlation is seen in the regressions for this data. The regression for the scatter plot of the stock market price data and the regression for the scatter plot of the obesity rate data are both quartic regressions and display fairly proportional increases over the same time frame. To help verify that this correlation is not simply coincidental, one must examine whether McDonalds, or fast food in general, has the potential to affect the weight of Americans to such a great extent. The facts say yes. A quarter of Americans eat fast food on a daily basis, McDonalds food has very high calorie and fat contents, and people with diets high in fat can actually become addicted to fattening foods because of the release of opioids in the brain. Therefore, I do believe fast food has largely affected obesity in America. Possible solutions include raising awareness of the poor nutritional quality of fast food (and on the addiction aspect), and promoting exercise and healthy eating.

Rachel: The facts have shown that the McDonalds Corporation has played a largre role in the increase of obesity. The food is clearly unhealthy for you, should by the amount of calories and fat in one small serving. The correlation is obvious when considering the scatter charts and equations made from both sets of data available. I believe that this is mainly due to the fact that McDonald's food is cheap. Especially with the current trend, many Americans have been looking for ways to be more efficient with their money and there are few places in which one can get an entire meal for a dollar. Still these cheap choices have devastating results, as shown by the sharp increase with obesity. It is well known that it costs more money to eat healthy which is not the way it should be. Everyone should have equal opprotunity to eat healthy. Especially on the current trend, a change must be made. It would be completely unacceptable to have over 75% of the American population be obese by 2050. Their is just no excuse for this. It is disturbing and appaling. In order to increase amount of people eating healthier, advertising should be improved. Though many media sources have started reporting the horrors of fast food, no one has offered on alternative. Fast food resturants should be required to serve at least some healthy options so citizens on a tight budget can still have a healthy lifestyle.