Impact of Fast Food on Obesity Among Tertiary Students: A Critical Study

The research discusses the impact of obesity and fast food consumption on the lives of students who lead a sedentary lifestyle. It highlights the significance of the study in promoting the overall health of tertiary students. The literature review examines the nutritional value of fast food and its link to obesity and various diseases. The research finds a clear connection between fast food consumption and obesity among Australian tertiary students.

MBA RESEARCH PROJECT PROPOSAL

Contents
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESEARCH..................................................................................2
2. Literature Review..................................................................................................................3
Fast food types and nutritional value........................................................................................3
Image – Fast food nutritional facts............................................................................................4
Obesity and the various diseases related to it............................................................................4
Does obesity and fast food have any relation?..........................................................................5
Image – Number of people obese in Australia in ages..............................................................5
(Source – Apovian et al. 2013)..................................................................................................5
4 Image – Increasing amount of fast-food consumption in Australia......................................6
Theories related to the problem of obesity................................................................................6
Effects of obesity on the life of the tertiary students.................................................................7
Recommendations for the overcoming the obesity related issues.............................................8
3. Methodology 9
Research Design........................................................................................................................9
Research Method.......................................................................................................................9
Sampling Design.......................................................................................................................9
Sampling Size Calculation........................................................................................................9
Data Analysis............................................................................................................................9
Study Limitations......................................................................................................................9

Study Impact...........................................................................................................................10
Project Management Arrangements........................................................................................10
References...............................................................................................................................10
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESEARCH
Obesity is one of the major concerns of the modern time as all the people including the
students lead a very sedentary lifestyle in the time when outdoor games and peer pressure have
occupied a major portion in the part and parcel of the whole span. The research here is signifying
the effect of obesity of the life of the people involved in the sedentary lifestyle and also to the
fact that the effect of fast food on the life of the students who are there in the post school
department (Patel et al. 2018). The significance of the research is therefore many and contributes
to overall health of tertiary students.
2. Literature Review
Fast food types and nutritional value

Robertson and Williams, (2009) states that fast food is nothing but the junk food that is available
in the market which are made of all the unwanted and calorie content and bad for the health
substances that can affect the health of the people, especially of the modern world in a matter of
ways. The fast-food industry is booming at a rapid pace due to the vast popularity of the fast or
junk food among the youths of the nation and on the global sphere resulting in a number of
diseases including obesity at a preliminary stage of life (Robertson & Williams, 2009). The fast
food is a non-nutrient rich food item variation that contain more amount of calorie and sugar
content which is gross for the health. The content of fast food is either rich in fat or fatty acids
and cholesterol which is bad for the health in the longer span of time.
Though the taste of fast food is well which attracts a large number of people especially from the
youth genre, the overall analysis of the fast food in terms of nutritional value can be done which
reveals that the fast-food content is not needed by the health in any matter. Kurdaningsih,
Sudargo and Lusmilasari, (2017) states that the percentage of nutrition in fast is negligible and is
only full of calories and other bad materials.

Image – Fast food nutritional facts
(Source – Apovian et al. 2013)
The image shows the amount of calories and other types of nutritional contents of the fast food
with the high amount of sugar and salt content in each of the items which provide only taste to
the item minus any amount of nutritional benefits.
Obesity and the various diseases related to it
Obesity is an issue that has a global presence and affects the people from all age and sex.
Recently, Apovian et al. (2013) states that due to the extreme sedentary lifestyle of the people
working in a corporate sector and even the students who are in their tertiary mode of education,
the problem of obesity has made immense problems and led to the rise to a number of diseases in
the long phase. The diseases that are related to the problem of obesity can be stated as high blood
pressure, stroke, cancer, diabetes and even stones of gall bladder. Zhao et al. (2017) states that
the locomotion problem is one of the major issues that are there in the matters of obesity which
is one of the major results of the tremendous amount of fast-food consumption.
Fast food is one of the probable causes for the lack of good nutritional value in the life of the
students who are working or having a sedentary lifestyle (Zhao et al. 2017). Due to the vast
availability of food items as well as the readymade nature of fast-food, it has become one of the
most important in the case relating to the increasing health issues including the obese nature.
Does obesity and fast food have any relation?
Considering the amount of tertiary students in the province of Australia who are getting obese
due to the increasing amount of bad habits including bad food habits like lack of nutrition and
increasing fast food habit straight away implement that the fast-food eating habits and
obesity does have a strong connection which hamper the active and healthy lifestyle in a
number of ways (Lee, 2012).

Image – Number of people obese in Australia in ages
(Source – Apovian et al. 2013)
The image above clearly indicates the huge number of people who are obese in the province of
Australia who are in their tertiary education mode and are obese due to the bad lifestyle habits
followed by them. The age group of 16-17 as stated in the image is the age when the students
leave the school and tertiary form of education begins making the obese rate as high as 48%
which is at a high-risk zone according to the World Health Organization (Apovian et al. 2013).

4 Image – Increasing amount of fast-food consumption in Australia
(Source – Zhao et al. 2017)
The above image shows the high and increasing amount of the fast-food consumption in the
Australian country which accounts for the high rate of obesity that is prevalent among the people
especially among the tertiary group of students who are the main consumers of fast food in
the country (Zhao et al. 2017).
Analysing the trends and the figures of the fast-food consumption along with the increasing
number of obesity cases among the students, it can be blatantly stated that there is a relation
between fast food consumption and obesity in Australia (Grimes et al. 2013).
Theories related to the problem of obesity
Obesity being a global issue in the sector of healthcare for a number of people, a number of
theories have been formulated to have an extensive overview about the cause and the analysis of
the cause which will ultimately lead to the mitigation of the problem. The three theories relating
to the problem of obesity are as follows:
 The Three Bear Theory – The amount of interest in eating and food is the source and base
of the three bear theory which is one of the most popular theories regarding the concept of
obesity. Alberga et al. (2012) states that the likeliness for a person to eat and not
understanding the amount of overeating due to various emotional factors like stress and
loneliness is one of the major facts for the obesity theory. Fast-food is one of the food items
that is consumed by the people who love to eat the deliciousness from outside contributing to
the various emotional factors for the stress factor and also to combat stress and other arenas
(Grimes et al. 2013).
 The Pica Theory – According to the Pica Theory, the imbalance of nutrients lead to obesity
in the lives of the people in the prolonged time area. The synthesis of food nutrition is not
present in fast-food which has negligible nutrition values contributing the rise in weight and
obese condition of the people in the span of the time. Sobol‐Goldberg, Rabinowitz and
Gross, (2013) states that the quantity of the food consumed is great with no or limited quality
contributing to the obesity of the people in the span of time.

 The Fat Stat Theory – The amount of fat that a particular human being is bound to
accumulate and sustain due to the certain mechanism in the body of the humans is
determined by the hypothetical standpoint of genetic and the environmental issues set by
them. Brand-Miller and Barclay, (2017) states that the overall analysis of the fact lies in the
fact that fast-food has immense amount of fat in its whole composition leading to the amount
of greater fat accumulation in the arena. In addition, Frank (2012) states that the overall fat
stat theory makes sure that the overall analysis of fast-food is done based on the amount of
fat that is present in the fast-food items.
Effects of obesity on the life of the tertiary students
The increase in the number of students who are suffering from the problem of obesity has
touched the risky figure of nearly 30% in the province of Australia majority of which being the
cause of obesity and other types of health problems due to the immense intake of fast food items
(Morley et al., 2012). Due to the non-existent nature of nutrients in the contents of fast food, the
effects on the health and overly habits of the tertiary students are dangerous.
- Poor academic performance is one of the major effects that are due to obesity. Frank
(2012) states that tertiary students are the future of the country who will be making their
future, however, obesity loses their interest in the means of the academic nature and
makes them lethargic and prone to diseases.
- The cognitive skills of the students are another major factor that leads to the loss of the
skills of the students due to the rapid increase in the fast food intake in the lives of the
people and their obese nature. Taylor (2015) states that obese teenagers who are in their
tertiary education span have little interest in their mental development and are interested
only in consumption habits.
- The BMI rate being high for the students who are in their tertiary phase have little or no
interest in the outdoor activities due to lethargic and obese means making them less prone
to the social life that a tertiary student should have in respect to their career (Dunn,
Sharkey & Horel, 2012).
Recommendations for the overcoming the obesity related issues

 One of the major recommendations is to substitute fast-food with nutrition-rich food to
make the students better prepared for their upcoming lives and activities.
 Seminars and discussions can be held with the students to make them understand the
health hazards of fast food and their relation to the obesity.
 The third recommendation is to include more healthy food option in the college and
school campus to help them choose the one better for their needs and lives and help them
to have better food habits for the future generation.
3. Methodology
Research Design
Hsieh, J. (2016) states that Research Design is defined as the way in which the research
on a particular topic is being done. In the analysis of the method, the exploratory form of
research design will be followed with the set theories to find out the relation between obesity and
fast food in Australia. The designs relating to cohort, case control, cross sectional analysis,
experimental and ecological analysis will also be done (Song and Chung, 2010).
Research Method
Both primary and secondary qualitative and quantitative modes of analysis will be used

in the analysis as the students are being questioned and seminars have been done in the primary
ways. Secondary data relating to the overall overview will also be created (Jackson, 2011).
Sampling Design
The random cluster sampling method will be chosen which identifies the student
population in the given sample to conduct the research. The sample will be the set of tertiary
students.
Sampling Size Calculation
The sample size taken for the analysis will be 120 students who are there in the tertiary
students section.
Data Analysis
The data analysis will be done using the quantitative method of analysis of data for
making sure about the research method that is being implemented (Jackson, 2011).
Study Limitations
The depth of the research could have been more prominent along with the implication of
more theories and data methods. The analysis could have been more precise.
Study Impact
The expected outcomes of the study will be finding the relation between fast food and
obesity in the lives of the tertiary students in Australia. The results will be used to create
awareness and also to give the educational arenas hints to formulate plans to overcome these by
implementing healthy food options in the campus. The current public health policy will be
implemented in a positive way as the government will have a note on the problems and solutions
for the obesity issues.
Project Management Arrangements
The students will be involved in the project along with their chosen samples for the
research. To conduct the study, the organisational help to make a list of students are needed

along with group and individual interest in conducting the studies for the areas. According to me,
I will need the expertise to collect and analyse the data that is required to conduct the study. The
overall study will need people who understand health, the problems and can infer solutions from
given set of raw data which will be needed in this project. I will need to include more analytical
skills in the assessment and also to have detailed analysis for the samples and primary data
collected.
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