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ISSUE BOOK ASSIGNMENT APPENDIX
Beth White, Editor
Bio:
I am a senior here at BYU-I and will be graduating this semester. I am a Communica-tions major with an emphasis in Advertising and clusters in Sociology and Business. I will be staying in the Rexburg area until summer when my Husband will graduate from BYU-I as well. I am from central California and hope to go back there to live after Idaho.
Issue Selection:
W hen facing the task of deciding on an is-sue I was drawn to Childhood Obesity because it is a problem that not only are all commu-nities facing but it is a problem that we are creating. We hold the power to fi x childhood obesity because we are the ones that can con-trol what our children are consuming as well as their physical activities. While adult obesity is important to address, children are our fu-ture and they deserve to be set up for success from parents and adults. By not addressing this issue we are only doing a disservice to our entire society.
My Tasks:
I was in charge of the content that is going into our book, editing, making sure that it is on target and the gathering of all the mate-rial. A lot of my work was through the weeks making sure that the work was getting done and that it was relevant to what the others were researching while not overlapping what the others had done.
Strategic ResearchSummary:
Because I was the editor, I did not have large hand in the research of the assignment.
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Beth White’s Personal Refl ection
While recognizing that this was a problem in our com-munities, I never realized what a growing problem this has become. The numbers show a drastic growth in obesity and as you look at history you begin to see this is one of Ameri-ca’s biggest problems. While convenience has become one of our strong points it comes at a cost. The cost of not paying attention to the prepackaged snacks you are handing your children and reading the nutritional specks of a Happy Meal.
Researching this has really made me think more of the choic-es I am making, while I don’t have children yet, it is impor-tant to start these habits now. After reading this book and looking at the research you begin to see something has been done and through the options we give them the opportunity of things to explore. I know that this has had an impact on me and I plan to take the knowledge that I have and use it to benefi t the community that I live in. I am grateful to have had this experience to open my eyes to a growing epidemic.
If you really consider it, you begin to see what a sad prob-
lem this is to have. We have a duty as adults and parents to watch over and protect children. The problem is not from any other source than ourselves, we allow our children to consume these foods and allow them to sit inside and play video games. While many blame our society it is easy to see that this is something that we are in charge of and are drop-ping the ball and all this hurts is ourselves and our children. Children deserve the best chance they have at life and this includes a happy healthy lifestyle.
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ISSUE BOOK ASSIGNMENT APPENDIX
Katie Andrews, Writer #1
Bio:
I am Katie Andrews. I currently live in Boise, Idaho where my husband teaches early morn-ing seminary and mission prep at the insti-tute. We got married on January 19th, 2012, and are expecting our fi rst child, a little girl, on January 7th, 2012. We are both doing BYU-Idaho online right now, and hope to graduate the 2014 spring semester.
Issue Selection:
I really liked the subject of child obesity because it is something that is more relat-able to me and that I can actually do some-thing about. Issues like nuclear energy, war, and political related problems don’t seem as tangible. With child obesity, a lot of it depends on parents and the lifestyle they bring their children up in so I feel like it is something I can actually make a diff erence in.
My Tasks:
For the issue book I was writer #1, which means I researched the history and back-ground of childhood obesity. I found that it is a growing problem and is becoming an even bigger problem each year. There are several factors that contribute to its growth. I also researched a solution for the problem, how parents can help with child obesity. They have the biggest infl uence on children so by setting an example and helping them have a better lifestyle it can make a diff erence.
Strategic ResearchSummary:
The research I found came from peer re-views and scholarly articles. These sources are very credible and reliable. The websites I used are all government and organizations.
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Katie Andrews’ Personal Refl ection
I really enjoyed working and researching about child obe-sity. Throughout the research it made me want to be a much better parent at raising my children. I have always been health conscience but this helped me realize how big of an infl uence I can have on my children and their eating habits. What I teach them when they are young will make a big dif-ference from when they grow up. It can have life aff ecting consequences on them for good and bad.
I have also realized that a reason why there is so much child-hood obesity is because of technology and gaming. I have never really been a big fan of that either and decided that I want to talk with my husband more about this and set down guidelines for what kinds of games we buy for our children. Whether or not this is a little too strict I don’t know, but personally I really only would want the WII in our home with more active games like Just Dance.
This project really put a big awareness in me and I hope I can make a diff erence at least in my own children’s future. May-
be the lifestyle we live will also be a good example and infl u-ence on my children’s friends as well. Either way, I am going to look forward to the future with a positive outlook and give my children the best life and opportunities I can. With my fi rst little girl almost here to join our family, it has hit me a little bit harder on how I want to raise her and the rest of our children my husband and I will be blessed with.
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ISSUE BOOK ASSIGNMENT APPENDIX
Lauren Rosell, Writer #2
Bio:
I’m Lauren Rosell. I am a senior at BYU-Idaho and will be graduating this semester. I recently got a job working as the Marketing Director for the Chick-fi l-A located in Idaho Falls, Idaho. My husband and I will be staying in the Rexburg area for another 2 years before moving on to our next adventure.
Issue Selection:
Something that drew me to the Childhood Obesity topic, unlike the confl ict in the Middle East, Nuclear Weapons, and other hot topic issues, is that it is something I can really make a diff erence in. From my research, I have noticed that most of the chance with healthy living begins in the home. Both my husband and I are health-conscious and hope to pass that on to our children.
My Tasks:
I was assigned the role of Writer #2 for this assignment. I explored the scope of the problem. I researched contributing factors to childhood obesity; lack of breakfast, por-tion size increase, the school’s role, etc. I also researched statistics for body mass, diabetes, and other health problems obese children are subject too.
Strategic ResearchSummary:
I know that our information is relevant and reliable because of the great deal of statisti-cal data that we have found to see the health issues and growing problems with our youth. Also, most of the websites were I was able to receive this information were all government run health sites, where you can see how the government is monitoring and trying to solve the problem of childhood obesity.
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Lauren Rosell’s Personal Refl ection
Having spent a lot of time overseas I have begun to no-tice how much more unhealthy our children are then those in other countries. But in a lot of ways I don’t think you can just blame the children, children follow the example of their parents. It’s the parent’s responsibility to lead the child into a healthy lifestyle, just as it is the responsibility of the parent to guide the child into a healthy lifestyle.
I do believe that a great deal of the problem is what the children are eating. Portion control is a big problem in the United States, the children are given so much to eat all the time that they don’t understand that their bodies really don’t need that much food. Also, the kinds of food that they are eating are unhealthy.
Families don’t cook dinner anymore, they go out to eat or get fast food. I don’t believe that it’s fair that the schools are being blame for larger children. The schools only feed the children for one meal a day, 5 days a week. The real issue is the meals that they are getting in their own homes with their
own families. They are continuing to build unhealthy life-styles with their parents.
Another major problem with childhood obesity is the chil-dren’s don’t get out and play as much anymore. Most of them prefer to stay at home and play on their video games rather than ride their bikes around town. I do believe that this is a result of people becoming fearful of the dangers out-side their front door. A child can still be a child while under the watchful eye of the parent.
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Amy Lee, Writer #3
Bio:
I am a returning student after several years away from school, and will be graduating in the fall 2012 semester. I am currently married with a one year old son, living in Orem, UT. I grew up in Calabasas, CA before attending BYU-I. I enjoy reading, writing, and many diff erent kinds of sports including running and kayaking among my favorites.
Issue Selection:
Obesity was one of fi rst choices, since it is such an urgent issue in our nation. I thought that children with obesity especially need help, and I wanted to learn more about what I could do for those I know that are suff ering because of it, and was hoping I could maybe do some-thing more in my community, even beyond this project to get more people involved.
My Tasks:
I have been researching and writing about the implications of this problem for the future, if
we are unable to get some kind of hold on the issues surrounding obesity, and the illnesses that it causes to exacerbate, especially in chil-dren in our nation.
Strategic ResearchSummary:
My research for this project included searches in the online library for school, as well as online, and I also did an interview with a woman that owns a company that helps people of all ages deal with a variety of weight issues, including obesity. I mostly focused on what the implications will be if, as a nation, we are unable to get this issue of childhood obesity under control. I found a variety of answers, and many of them agree with each other that it is an essential and important goal for us as a nation in order to continue to thrive as a soci-ety for us to help each other to deal with, and prevent more people from having to suff er with obesity and those diseases it brings on and makes worse.
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Amy Lee’s Personal Refl ection
Before getting started, I thought this would be a simple subject to learn and report about, but once I started re-searching and reading I realized this wasn’t true. Many peo-ple struggle with obesity specifi cally childhood obesity and I realized that this is something that is multi-faceted. In order for change to happen, it will take all of our help, even if our contribution is just to listen to those that are trying to make a diff erence, and pass along that information to others that need it.
This problem has been decades in the making, and it’s go-ing to take more than a few strategic changes to save the next generation from having a lower quality of life, as well as a shorter life expectancy than ours. Once I realized this I really started to care about this issue and the people that are dealing with it on a daily basis. This became more real to me when I started reading about them and their situations and looking at their pictures.
I have to be honest I really had no idea what a big mess we
have on our hands, as far as the food we’re eating and the habits our children have learned from us. The eff ect those two things are having and will have on them is devastating. I didn’t expect this to become so close to my heart when we started this assignment, but it has and I intend to fi nd a way to contribute in my community. I am so glad to have had the opportunity to go through this process as a group, and for the information I gained as a result.
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Matt Christensen, DesignerI generally avoid photos, so in lieu of a normal portrait, I give you my most recent: 1) running from a random kid on a bike at a Buddhist temple and 2) enjoying a healthy meal on an island in the Gulf of Thailand...
Bio:
I am a returning student at BYU-Idaho and loading up on credits with the goal to graduate next semester. I also work as an independent contractor in marketing and graphic design, and I am involved in a variety of volunteer eff orts. Previously, I served an LDS mission in Brazil, taught English in China, worked primarily in marketing over the years, and spent the last year in Cambodia helping families start small businesses. My interests include politics, economics, history, religion, business, the arts, community theater, and more. I will be moving back to Cambodia, once the snow starts sticking here in Utah, and next Fall, I plan to move back to China to pursue an MBA.
Issue Selection:
The choice to focus on childhood obesity was a good one. I wasn’t looking forward to an in-depth issue book on Nuclear Power, our previous topic, so I was happy to go along with the group’s idea to focus on this instead.
My Tasks:
My primary responsibilty was to take the content gathered by our team editor, Beth, and make it look pretty. This involved search-ing for images related to the topic, seeking group feedback on the direction to take the design, fi nding images, and designing a layout that would lend our book a professional feel. I wanted the graphical design of the book to get attention and interest readers, help convey the information in an impactful way, and refl ect the seriousness of the topic, while leaving an overall feeling of positivity and encouragement to readers.
Strategic ResearchSummary:
As the designer, I was not involved so much in the strategic research for written content. However, I did seek images, photos, icons, charts, graphs, and other visual content to help reinforce the written content. All images were gathered under Royalty Free license or through “Fair Use Doctrine” with on-page source attribution.
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Matt Christensen’s Personal Refl ection
Working on this assignment was a positive and memorable experience. I grew up as “the fat kid” at school, so it was a topic that off ered plenty of food for thought (pardon the pun). Being able to identify and remember my own experiences with many aspects related to this important topic provided a trip down memory lane—most of it positive.
Reading through the issue book content, I recognized that although I have been taught proper information about healthy eating and exer-cise from a young age, I have not always applied it. I used food as an outlet or coping mechanism, and given my body’s natural inclination to weight gain, that was not a good combo growing up. Furthermore, several immobilizing health problems early in life only served to com-pound my weight problems. So, while this information is critical, there is still something more that I feel is left undone—something even the experts haven’t fully comprehended yet. In the meantime, our issue book puts forward some great basic information on the issue of child-hood obesity. It helps introduce readers to the topic and provides them with good solutions and links to more information.
As people become educated on this topic, I believe it will have an im-pact. One-by-one, people will learn the facts and begin making health-ier choices at home, at school, and in their personal lives. As individuals
in our society begin to implement better health habits (eating, drink-ing, sleeping, and exercising), I believe we can catch up to this problem and begin reversing the current trends.
Personally, I think government schools, government regulations/inter-ference, corn/other farming subsidies, and false chrony capitalism that has replaced true markets have multiplied this problem over the past several decades. Eventually, society will reset itself to more sensible habits, as people are allowed to get informed and exercise personal liberty. People will crave real, nutricious food, instead of the stuff that lines store shelves today—most of it laden with government subsidized crops, corn syrups, and FDA approved artifi cial sweeteners and pre-servatives. Our child prison/school system needs an overhaul, too, so children aren’t fed “food” and locked away from physical activity.
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Together, we can make our worlda happier, healthier place for all children.
