Scope for Moving Forward

In my research I have learned so many disgusting and deceptive facts about the food industry that I wish I could tackle the whole thing. I feel that all unnatural additives, from Yellow #5 to gluten to MSG, are incredibly unhealthy and the public needs to know. However, a topic this broad would probably require more than one semester's worth of work, unless I can figure out a simpler focus.

That said, I need to figure out what sort of materials to produce to convey the information that I've learned. Over 70% of my survey respondents said that they would prefer perusing a Web site rather than printed materials. There are a few problems with creating a Web site though:

1. How would I let Eden Medical Center's patients know about it? I would also have to create a printed handout for Eden volunteers to hand out at outreach events to lead people to the Web site. Would I have enough time to design all of this?
2. A Web site would require a lot more information than a booklet or poster. Would I have enough time to write all that copy? Would I be able to keep the Web site updated?
3. And finally, I have far less experience in Web design than I do in print. I would be more likely to run into technical problems with this route.

Right now I feel like I'm closing in on a solution, but it's not quite clear yet.

Bibliography (so far)

1. Minich, Deanna, Ph.D. (2009). An a-z guide to food additives, never eat what you can’t pronounce. San Francisco, CA: Conari press.
2.Pringle, Peter. (2003). Food,iInc. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.
3.Nestle, Marion. (2002). Food politics. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
4.Wangen, Dr. Stephen. (2009). Healthier without wheat: a new understanding of wheat allergies, celiac disease, and non-celiac gluten intolerance. Seattle, WA: Innate Health Publishing.
5.Popkin, Barry. (2009). The world is fat: the fads, trends, policies, and products that are fattening the human race. New York, NY: The Penguin Group.
6.Simon, Michelle. (2006). Appetite for profit: how the food industry undermines our health and how to fight back. New York, NY: Nation Books.
7.Roberts, Paul. (2008). The end of food. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin.
8.Trudeau, Kevin. (2004). Natural cures “they” don’t want you to know about. Elk Grove Village, IL: Alliance Publishing Group, Inc.
9.Ettlinger, Steve. (2007). Twinkie, deconstructed. New York, NY: The Penguin Group.
10.Schlosser, Eric. (2002). Fast food nation. New York, NY: HarperCollins.
11.Schwarcz, Joe, Ph.D. (2009). An apple a day: the myths, misconceptions, and truths about the foods we eat. New York, NY: Other Press.
12.Perucca, F, & Pouradier, G. (1996). The rubbish on our plates. London, England: Prion Books.
13.Community Assessment, Planning, Education, and Evaluation (CAPE) Unit. (2010). The Health of Alameda County Cities and Places: A Report for the Hospital Council of Northern and Central California, 2010. Retrieved from http://www.acphd.org/user/data/DataRep_ListbyCat.asp?DataRepdivId=2&DataRepdivcatid=70
14.http://www.sweetsurprise.com/
15.Niles, Meredith Ph.D. (2008, June 27). Corn tries to look a little too sweet. Message posted to www.grist.org
16.Bocarsly, Miriam E. , Powell, Elyse S., Avena, Nicole M., Hoebel, Bartley G. (2010). High-fructose corn syrup causes characteristics of obesity in rats: Increased body weight, body fat and triglyceride levels. Retrieved from Princeton University, Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior Web site: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/525485/description#description
17.US Department of Agriculture, US Department of Health and Human Services. (2010). Dietary guideline for Americans 2010. 7th Edition, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office . Retrieved from www.dietaryguidelines.gov
18.Woolf, A. (Producer/Director/Writer. (2007). King Corn [Documentary]. United States: Mosaic Films.
19.Stanhope, Kimber L. (2010). Fructose consumption: recent results and their potential implications. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1190, 15-24. http://0-onlinelibrary.wiley.com.opac.sfsu.edu/doi/10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.05266.x/pdf
20.Suzanne Vranica. (2008, June 23). High Fructose Corn Syrup Mixes It Up; Sweetener Advocate, Soured by Obesity Links, Targets Moms in Ads. Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition), p. B.7. Retrieved March 16, 2011, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 1498923741).
21.Schoonover, Heather and Muller, Mark. (2006). Food without thought: how US farm policy contributes to obesity. Retrieved from IATP Environment and Agriculture Program Web site: http://www.iatp.org/search.cfm?q=food+without+thought

Survey!!!

I have a short survey to help me in my research. I would really appreciate it if you could take a moment to fill it out:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MSVX9P5

Refocused

When the people at Eden wanted me to focus on the wider topic of obesity, at first it made sense as that is obviously a big problem in the US.

After meeting with my professor, however, I realized the problem: once again, medical professionals wanted to urge people to follow the same old guidelines, despite the fact that this approach is not working.

So, I'm back to focusing on added sweeteners, specifically high fructose corn syrup. Depending on the type of communication I decide to use, I may also include gluten and other food additives, as my research continues to show that all processed food is incredibly unnatural and unhealthy.

New P&P Statements

After talking to Colette Lee about what patients in Alameda County would most benefit from, we determined that focusing on HFCS would be a little too specific to benefit the majority of people. Colette suggested focusing on the general topic of obesity and heart disease, as in most of Alameda County the rate of obesity among children is roughly 35%, and heart disease is the #1 killer of Americans today. This is a topic that I am very passionate about, so I have decided to refocus my study in order to benefit the largest number of people possible.

Problem Statement: Obesity and related health issues such as heart disease and Type II diabetes are on the rise among Americans, yet many patients of Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley, CA, are unaware of how to prevent such health issues.

Purpose Statement: The purpose of this study was to raise awareness among these patients about healthy ways to prevent heart disease, Type II diabetes, and obesity.

PERT Chart

Revised PERT chart as per Nancy's suggestions below:

Timeline

Revised timeline as per Nancy's suggestions below: