Link of Obesity to Food Preparation Factors in New Zealand

This research proposal aims at finding the various factors which have an importance on the cases of obesity in New Zealand. The link with the various food preparation factors like the use of fast food outlets, incidence, income as well as time along with the ever increasing rates of obesity in the areas of New Zealand have been identified and explored in this research study.

Running head: APPLIED RESEARCH IN HEALTHCARE
Topic: APPLIED RESEARCH IN HEALTHCARE
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1APPLIED RESEARCH IN HEALTHCARE
Title:
The link of obesity to the various food preparation factors existing in New Zealand.
Abstract:
Obesity and overweight are two inter-dependable terms which have been termed as global
concerns over the years. They are defined as excessive as well as abnormal fat accumulation
which might ultimately lead to the impairment of health. According to the statistical reports f
World Health Organization, more than 2 billion results have been overweight. In 2016 almost
39 % of the adults have been almost 18 years or more than that. Moreover between the years
of 1975 and 26, the worldwide prevalence of the cases of obesity have almost tripled.
According to the findings of various researchers it has been seen that food preparation and
the factors associated with it re responsible for the increasing cases of obesity. There is a
distinct between the time use, food patters and the demographic characters along with
obesity. This proposal aims at finding the various factors which has an importance on the
cases of obesity. Moreover, the link with the various food preparation factors like the use of
fast food outlets, incidence, income as well as time along with the ever increasing rates of
obesity in the areas of New Zealand have been identified and explored in this research study.
Research question
Do the food preparations among the areas of New Zealand have an effect on the obesity
prevalent among people?

2APPLIED RESEARCH IN HEALTHCARE
Study Aim:
The main aim of the research proposal is analysis of the food preparation and choice factors
and their subsequent effect on obesity.
The objectives of the following research proposal is as follows
To identify the prevalence of fast food centers in New Zealand
To analyze the effect of a balanced and nutritional diet free from fast food on obesity
To identify the cooking skills along with the use and technique of food preparation on the
quality of food and its subsequent relation to obesity
To find the effect of the income of families and time having a significant effect on the
preparation of food and its simultaneous effect on obesity among people
Background:
Obesity has been a rising concern over the years especially in countries like New
Zealand (Berge et al., 2015). According to the statistical surveys done from the department of
Ministry in New Zealand regarding the obesity of people, almost 1 in 3 adults suffer from
obesity. While relating to the occurrence of obesity among the ethnic groups of New Zealand,
almost half or a whopping percentage of 47% Maori adults are obese (Who.int, 2019).
Moreover, almost 65% Pacific adults are obese (Utter et al., 2016). Apart from the present
information it has been found that, the adults who have been living in the deprived areas have
a chance of getting 1.6 times more obese than other people (Poppit et al., 2015). Over the
years the adult obesity rate have considerably increased from 27% to 32% in 217-2018
(Moh.govt.nz, 2019). Earlier studies based on the exploration of food preparation techniques
in New Zealand have been done on the study (Flattumm et al., 2015). Studies by Anderson et
al (2016) have aimed at describing the dietary intake as well as eating behaviors of the obese

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children as well as adults with their subsequent effect on obesity(Biggers et al., 2014). A
considerable prevalence of various abnormal behaviors related to eating has been found along
with significant differences which exists between the dietary intakes of the participants along
with other national counterparts (Vandevijvere et al., 2015). According to statistics of the
New Zealand government there has been a projected two or three fold increase in the cases of
diabetes and higher probability of obesity epidemic (Smith et al., 2015). According to the
exploration of the cases by the government, the existing food culture has been found to have
a substantial effects on the food preferences, the food habits of food preparation along with
the settings along with various aspects of consumer behavior (Mhurchu et al., 2015). This has
been further affected by the attitude, knowledge, beliefs about the concept of food and
nutrition (Howe et al., 2015). However a research gap still exists regarding the exact factors
including the method of cooking which has a simultaneous effect on the prevalence of obesity
across the world (Hart, 2018).
This study once done will highlight the various factors involved in food preparation
which has a distinct impact on the cases of obesity among people. The factors affecting the
food quality and the minute details of cooking process affecting the nutritional status of food
items will be explored which will have a greater impact on people as it will create an
awareness about the nutritional change occurring with cooking processes. This will benefit
the people suffering from obesity and will bring them to the right track with the incorporation
of a healthy diet.
Research Design:
For this study a qualitative analysis will be done among the people of New Zealand
with a particular setting. For this research proposal, the research design will be inclusive of
an assessment of the dietary intake and the cooking habits with eating behaviors among a
specific population with a determined sample size among a particular setting like a

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community based health program among the rural areas of New Zealand. Various factors
which will act as the demographic variables during the study are the age, gender and ethnicity
of the population. Random sampling will be done to ensure that no errors have been done
during measurement of the association between the variables. The studies will be done
through the implementation of an unblinded clinical randomized control trial through a multi-
disciplinary intervention. Data collection processes will be done through the distribution of
manually prepared questionnaires aimed at determining the food eating habits and the
cooking techniques followed during the preparation of food. There will be voluntary
participation of the people taking part in the study and incentives would be given to the
people willing to take participate. After the process of data collection, data analysis will be
done through various software like SPSS, R studio where the relation and the subsequent
association with quality of food and food eating habits will be linked with obesity. Moreover,
the research study done will give rise to the common themes which will give an insight into
the details of the findings briefly.
Methodology and methods:
The participants will be selected though a health promotion program among the rural
areas in New Zealand. . Through the questions there will be an aim of exploring the thoughts
feelings and experiences of the people regarding the food choices and eating behavior of
people.
Moreover the data will be confidentially collected through individual distribution of
the manually prepared questionnaires targeting the eating strategies and health behaviors of
people. Random sampling of the population will be done for increasing accuracy of the
results through statistical processes. Data once collected will be kept in sealed enveloped
prevention breach of confidentiality of any kind. The structure of the questionnaire would be
open ended and semi structured. The patients will be unblinded form the proceedings of the

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studies and made aware of the details of the study. The inclusion criteria would be people
who have a increased risk of obesity. This would be based on the body mass index of the
people. The threshold BMI would be 25kg/m2 . Thus the inclusion criteria would be the body
mass index of more than 25. People less than the weight would be excluded. Moreover the
age group would be considered especially adults between the ages of 30-40.
Validity and reliability of the studies would be done through the use of Kornbach’s
alpha where the reading above the specific value of alpha that is > 0.5 would be included in
the study while the rest of the data would be excluded. Moreover, the analysis of the data
collected during the survey would be based on software like SPSS. The relation between the
dependent and the independent variables would be found simultaneously and established
through the course of the study. Thus the Data collected will be compared to the New
Zealand Health Service national data and the related dataset. The discussions will include the
possible explanation between the results obtained during the study. Moreover the various
unhealthy activities among children and adults and other lifestyle behaviors will be measured
minutely observed. Consideration of statistical errors will also be considered. Thus the
recommendations will be planned based on the findings of the study
Significance:
Over the years, the prevalence of outside food have increased due to shortage of time
and increase in the busy schedule among the people. Fast food has been gaining popularity
for being a convenient, inexpensive form of food with being palatable. Although the
ingredients are cheap, inclusive of high fat meat, added preservatives, added artificial
ingredients (Reicks et al., 2014). This study will provided a clear insight into the increased
risk of various diseases among the people inclusive of obesity. Lack of awareness and
knowledge about the various disadvantages of fast foods and their direct link with obesity
would be clarified with the findings of the study. Moreover there are various unknown facts

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about the cooking processes and the perceptions of the people behind the concept of obesity.
Many people consider fast food to be an alternative option due to the busy schedule and lack
of time. Moreover children often prefer colorful items which has inconsiderable amounts of
artificial sugars. This research study would help people to give an insight about the healthier
alternatives which would prevent the comorbidities. Moreover the cases about the fluctuating
obesity cases among the people would be clearer.
Moreover, this finding would be beneficial to the surgeons and health care
professionals involve in bariatric surgery. It would be helpful to the dieticians as this research
would be helpful in the formulation of an effective diet care plan. Moreover, it would also be
beneficial to the students involved in the study of the obesity related diseases and co
morbidities.
Ethical considerations:
Among the various ethical issues prevalent among the people of the health program,
the primary consideration would be cultural issues (Hurliman et al., 2016). Since the
participants would be a mixture for the aboriginal and ethnic populations, the consideration of
the basic cultural values and ethics are very important. There would be considerations
regarding the technical support along with ethical guidance regarding the adaptations of
interventions related to social cultural as well as economic contexts. Moreover, since there is
no involvement of animals, ethical issues like animal cruelty is not considered. Voluntary
participation should be encouraged and the consideration is a major ethical issue. Moreover
breach of confidentiality related issues should be prevented (Kass et al., 2014).

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Time frames:
The proposed timeline for the given study would be inclusive of the various stages for the
whole research proposal to be completed
Week 1-4 Week 5-
9
Week 10-15 Week 16-26 Week 26-29 Week 30
Topic selection 
Structuring the
proposal
 
Research about
Literature review
  
Data collection in
the survey

Data analysis 
Research finidings  
Submission of
final work

Costing:
The costing of the proposal would mainly depend on the nature of qualitative analysis
surveys to be undertaken. A significant portion of the funding would be required in the
distribution of incentives to the participants. Moreover, the cost of the instruments required in
the survey for the calculation of body mass index is important. Moreover, funding would be
required in the whole setup of the survey along with the clinical setting being selected. The

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distribution of the questionnaire and the cost behind the professionals who would be needed
in the data analysis process should also be considered. A significant amount of the costing
would be required in the transportation costs inclusive of the initiative.

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References
Anderson, Y. C., Wynter, L. E., Butler, M. S., Grant, C. C., Stewart, J. M., Cave, T. L., ... &
Hofman, P. L. (2016). Dietary intake and eating behaviours of obese New Zealand
children and adolescents enrolled in a community-based intervention
programme. PLoS One, 11(11), e0166996.
Berge, J. M., Wall, M., Hsueh, T. F., Fulkerson, J. A., Larson, N., & Neumark-Sztainer, D.
(2015). The protective role of family meals for youth obesity: 10-year longitudinal
associations. The Journal of pediatrics, 166(2), 296-301.
Martin-Biggers, J., Spaccarotella, K., Berhaupt-Glickstein, A., Hongu, N., Worobey, J., &
Byrd-Bredbenner, C. (2014). Come and get it! A discussion of family mealtime
literature and factors affecting obesity risk. Advances in Nutrition, 5(3), 235-247.
Flattum, C., Draxten, M., Horning, M., Fulkerson, J. A., Neumark-Sztainer, D., Garwick,
A., ... & Story, M. (2015). HOME Plus: Program design and implementation of a
family-focused, community-based intervention to promote the frequency and
healthfulness of family meals, reduce children’s sedentary behavior, and prevent
obesity. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 12(1),
53.
Hart, C. (2018). Doing a literature review: Releasing the research imagination. Sage.
Howe, L. D., Ellison-Loschmann, L., Pearce, N., Douwes, J., Jeffreys, M., & Firestone, R.
(2015). Ethnic differences in risk factors for obesity in New Zealand infants. J
Epidemiol Community Health, 69(6), 516-522.

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Hurlimann, T., Peña-Rosas, J. P., Saxena, A., Zamora, G., & Godard, B. (2017). Ethical
issues in the development and implementation of nutrition-related public health
policies and interventions: A scoping review. PloS one, 12(10), e0186897.
Kass, N., Hecht, K., Paul, A., & Birnbach, K. (2014). Ethics and obesity prevention: ethical
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Mhurchu, C. N., Eyles, H., Genc, M., Scarborough, P., Rayner, M., Mizdrak, A., ... &
Blakely, T. (2015). Effects of health-related food taxes and subsidies on mortality
from diet-related disease in New Zealand: An econometric-epidemiologic modelling
study. PLoS One, 10(7), e0128477.
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reports, 3(1), 38-45.
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future programs. Journal of nutrition education and behavior, 46(4), 259-276.
Smith, T. M., Dunton, G. F., Pinard, C. A., & Yaroch, A. L. (2016). Factors influencing food
preparation behaviours: findings from focus groups with Mexican-American mothers
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