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Also I created another page for the final info so it is easier to see. Here is just a rough outline. You can erase anything you dont like :)

Question: How has the McDonalds company affected obesity in America?

As an extension to your questions: Are there differences in prevalence of obesity among black, white, and hispanic populations?

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

Data:

Stock Market Prices of McDonalds. It looks like a parabala but i can't figuire out how to put a scatter plot on this thing.
 * 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

(But like I said I could change this data a little if the obesity is really different)

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



This file has some info on obesity trends in the U.S. Tell me if it doesn't open.
 * I couldn't open it --you need a file converter :(**

Source for the above document: The Get America Fit Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) Non-profit Foundation Non-profit #26-3632911 []

This has a graph of increasing obesity in the U.S. over the past few years. It's on the 2nd page.

Regression:

Look's like squared but im not positive.

**United States McDonalds Nutrition Information (Common Menu Items)** For more McDonalds nutrition information, look here. This lists every McDonalds menu item you can probably think of and more and gives much more information, including protein, sugar, and vitamin contents: [|McDonalds Nutrition Info.]
 * How could McDonalds/Fast Food In General Be Contributing to Obesity? **
 * ** Menu Item ** || ** Serving Size ** || ** Calories from Fat/ Total Calories ** || ** Total Fat (g)/ **
 * %Daily Value ** || ** Saturated Fat(g)/ **
 * %Daily Value ** || ** Trans Fat (g) ** ||
 * Double Cheeseburger || 5.8 oz. || 210/440 || 23g/35% || 11g/54% || 1.5g ||
 * BigMac || 7.5 oz. || 260/540 || 29g/45% || 10g/50% || 1.5g ||
 * Angus Bacon and Cheese || 10.2 oz. || 350/790 || 39g/60% || 17g/87% || 2g ||
 * McChicken || 5 oz. || 150/360 || 16g/25% || 3g/15% || 0g ||
 * Mac Snack Wrap || 4.4 oz. || 170/330 || 19g/30% || 7g/34% || 1g ||
 * Medium French Fries || 4.1 oz. || 170/380 || 19g/29% || 2.5g/13% || 0g ||
 * 6-piece Chicken Nuggets || 3.4 oz. || 160/280 || 17g/27% || 3g/15% || 0g ||
 * Big Breakfast w/ Hotcakes || 15.3 oz. || 540/1150 || 60g/93% || 20g/** 100% ** || 0g ||
 * 16 fl. oz. Vanilla Triple Thick Shake || 444 mL || 120/550 || 13g/20% || 8g/40% || 1g ||
 * Large Classic Coca-Cola || 32 fl. oz. || 0/310 || 0g/0% || 0g/0% || 0g ||

**Here is a professional opinion on the topic:** Eric Schlosser (Interview), CBS HealthWatch, Jan. 18, 2001 "The real cost of eating the food isn't reflected in the price on the menu. This food tastes good is the salt, fat and sugars added to it. So when you look at the rise in the obesity rate of people and the rise in the success of the fast food chains they parallel each other. About 300,000 people die each year from being obese or overweight, this is second only to smoking. Fast food isn't the only reason people are gaining weight, but it contributes to it."
 * "With more people eating fast food, what kind of effect does it have on the public health?" **

//**Interesting Facts**// 1. About 25% of Americans eat fast food on a daily basis. 2. The McDonalds golden arc is now more widely recognized than the Christian cross. 3. Often, children recognize the McDonalds logo before they recognize their own names. 4. About one quarter of the vegetable consumption of American children comes from potato chips and French fries. For more of Schlosser's interview and more facts, look here: [|Interview]

Here's an excerpt from an article related to the topic: Junk Food Is Addictive" by Grant Rollings, //The Sun//, 14 Jul. 2003 Researcher Matthew Will said: “Our study suggests a high-fat diet alters brain biochemistry with effects similar to those of drugs such as morphine.” In Britain, University of Sussex researchers also believe certain chemicals make humans want to eat more. Their studies have shown that overeating is triggered by chemicals called opioids, which reduce the feeling of being full. When the release of opioids was blocked obese people found they wanted to eat a third less food. Meanwhile, researchers at Rockefeller University in New York say regularly eating fatty foods changes the body’s hormonal system so that diners want more fat. For the whole article, go here: [|Junk Food Is Addictive Article]

Questions:

1. How could fast food affect obesity? 2. If the trend continues, what will the percent of obesity be in....? 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, it's no wonder obesity is increasing with the income of the McDonalds food chain. 2. Math... 3. Make stuff up about excersize and portion control.

Conclusion: Obesity is a problem. Works Cited (you guys can add your sources here...make sure to put them in the correct spots alphabetically) "Americans Are Obsessed with Fast Food: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal." //CBS News Health.// 18 Jan. 2001. CBS Interactive, Inc. Web. 13 May 2010. "McDonald's USA Nutrition Facts for Popular Menu Items." //McDonald's//. 15 April 2010. Web. 10 May 2010. Rollings, Grant. "Junk Food IS Addictive." //The Sun//. 14 Jul. 2003. Web. 13 May 2010.