Research Responses: Analysis of Global Health Research Proposals

This document provides responses to three research proposals addressing critical global health challenges. The first proposal examines world hunger, its causes, and potential solutions, prompting questions about ethical obligations, the role of international organizations, and the impact of food distribution and production on undernourishment. The second proposal focuses on food security as a public health concern, highlighting the complexities of ensuring access to safe and nutritious food for a growing population and asking for analysis of ethical developments and strategies that FAO outlined in line with public health and food security within a global framework. The third proposal addresses the global obesity epidemic, its causes, and the need for effective interventions, with the response questioning the ethical guidance and WHO procedures on health concerns for the youth population and the implications of global legalities on research and living conditions of world youth. The responses critically evaluate the proposals, raising probing questions about ethical considerations, diversity issues, and the need for comprehensive solutions, ultimately contributing to a deeper understanding of these complex global health issues.

Running head: RESEARCH RESPONSES 1
Research Responses
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Date of Submission

RESEARCH RESPONSES 2
Please write responses for three Research proposals below. (about 150 words for each)
When responding, ask probing questions, and/or draw attention to potential ethical or diversity
issues not noted in the proposal.
Do not interject your personal opinions, views, or beliefs into the discussion.
SS
Hunger is a problem affecting people around the world. As of 2016, it is estimated that 815
million people in the world are considered chronically undernourished. This is an increase from
2015’s estimated 777 million people (FAO et al., 2017, p.4). World hunger relates to societies
around the world and poor health because of the negative effects of living in hunger. Ethically
feeding hungry people on our planet can be seen as an obligation to society. A large and complex
problem, finding a solution to end world hunger is not as simple as increasing overall food
production in the world or sending food aid to countries in need. Distribution and fair access to
food as well as trade and global relationships weigh in on food security in different ways (Clapp,
2014, p. 2).
Hunger is calculated by the Food and Agriculture Organization as a deficiency in calories needed
for a sedentary lifestyle for at least a year (Hickel, 2017, p. 759). This means that short terms of
hunger lasting less than a year, but potentially happening multiple times a year for multiple years
will not be counted. Therefore the actual number of people experiencing Prevalence of
Undernourishment (PoU) can be different than what is reported (FAO et al., 2017, p. 15). Calorie
measurements do not take into account the nutritional content of food, which can lead to
micronutrient deficiencies, stunted growth and other health concerns. In addition to the stated
health concerns, stunted growth, as well as reduced quality of life, can be a result of world
hunger in regions around the world. Stunting is being measured now where the growth of hungry
children is stunted because of their undernourishment. An estimated “155 million children under
five years of age across the world still suffer from stunted growth” (FAO et al., 2017, p.4).
Stunted growth due to chronic undernourishment has a negative effect on both the child and
society as they are more likely “to develop poor cognitive skills and learning abilities in
childhood and adolescence” that can affect “Labour productivity, income-earning potential, and
social skills” (FAO et al., 2017, p.26).
Local farmers are in competition with imports that may sell a crop for much cheaper than they
can afford to sell what their land yields. Because of this, local farmers have less incentive to
grow which increases the country’s dependency on imported food. If the imported food supply
decreases, the poor country is vulnerable to changes in the world’s food prices (Clapp, 2014,
p.6).
Solving world hunger is such a complex problem that sending food aid cannot fix the issue but
instead may create dependency, increasing the world’s food supply is not the answer as
production is not the sole issue but in combination with access to affordable, nutritious food in

even the most rural locations. The United Nations by way of the Committee on World Food
Security (CFS) and Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP), established in
2009, more recently are pushing funds to agriculture projects in developing countries to help
establish agricultural productivity and sustainability (Clapp, 2014, p. 10-11).
Response
This discussion on global hunger is quite elaborate. For instance, it is discussed that “World
hunger relates to societies around the world and poor health because of the negative effects of
living in hunger. Ethically feeding hungry people on our planet can be seen as an obligation to
society. However, a number of factors or concerns have not been justified to satisfaction. For
instance, is the 21st century’s global hunger the grossest violation of human rights? What is the
greatest, a considerable ethical challenge that the global community faces in relation to the
discussed issue? Apart from that, FAO has made it clear that even though the world potentially
produces enough food to feed its inhabitants, there are about 1 billion or so people that are still
undernourished with over 1.5 billion suffering from nutritional deficiencies. Therefore, what are
the means through which world ‘Powerful Infrastructure’ could tackle such issues? Apart from
mentioning that world hunger is ethically challenging, how can we justify that it is also “morally
outrageous”? Will programs such as “Origin Green” promote “world food production”?
TT
Food security is a global public health concern; with an ever-growing population and extreme
climate changes threatening agriculture, food insecurity affects the lives of millions of people
around the world. As the global population grows at an exponential rate, food demand increases
as well. Food security is considered a matter of public health since the consumption of unsafe
foods can result in a wide range of health problems including bacterial or viral diseases, cancer,
reproductive or developmental problems, among others.
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), food security is
when “all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and
nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life”
(Sarkar, 2016, p.115). The challenge to provide global food security has proven to be
complicated and complex, requiring the involvement of international agencies, policymakers,
governments, non-profit organizations and individuals (McCarthy et al., 2018, p.11). Solutions
have been proposed by several scientists, including Stephens et al. (2018) whom discuss various
agricultural system innovations. Christopher E. Barrett (2016) from Cornell University shines a
light on multiple problems and possible solutions regarding the food safety crisis the world is
currently experiencing.
The authors of the selected studies attribute the food safety crisis to a variety of factors including
population growth, global economic crisis, climate change, lack of agricultural land, an increase
in pests, increase in pesticide resistance and increased waste. Food safety, being such a complex
challenge, cannot be simply resolved. Multiple solutions are needed to address each individual
cause to achieve a long-term cessation to this crisis. While some studies suggest agricultural

RESEARCH RESPONSES 4
innovation (Stephens et al.) other studies suggest various approaches, for example, a holistic
system-based approach, technology advances, environmental sustainability, and unifying
countries and their policies.
Food security is, without a doubt, a multifaceted challenge that is adversely affecting millions
throughout the world. By supporting the United Nations humanitarian programs and by working
toward unifying developed countries who possess the resources needed to combat hunger and
malnutrition, we will see a positive change in the upcoming years.
Response
While this discussion elaborates FAO’s global public health issues in relation to food security,
several concerns on ethical developments outlined by FAO to curb sustainability issues are
merely elaborated. The writer needs to objectively disclose or highlight ethical developments and
strategies that FAO outlined in line with public health and food security within a global
framework. How does the writer analyze key concerns in food security and public health as
outlined by FAO? What are the rural, private sector, informational, genetic modification,
funding, animal and personal advancements that should be undertaken globally to ensure food
security? In addition, what are the legal and ethical mandates of world governments to establish
world food security systems in line with protocols stipulated by FAO in ensuring healthy feeding
and sustainability? In general, the article needs to contain issues in relation to balanced
conservation, global food security, utilization of natural resources, management, as well as
sustainable rural development.
JJ
While there are many critical issues threatening the general health and wellness of people around
the world, one of the issues that are becoming increasingly common is obesity. Obesity is
classified as having a Body Mass Index score of 30 or higher, with level 40 or higher classified
as severe obesity while individuals with scores above 25 are considered overweight (Centers for
Disease Control & Prevention, 2016). This is particularly concerning for health care
professionals who are tasked with finding strategies that are effective in addressing this
condition. Part of the concern stems from the severe effect of obesity on individuals. According
to a meta-analysis by Djalalinia et al. (2015), obesity is linked to 18 comorbidities including
diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease, and some forms of cancer.
With obesity being linked as a cause of the development of so many major medical
conditions, it is concerning that the world’s population is increasingly becoming overweight and
obese. For example, research from the World Health Organization (2018) estimated that the
number of people in the world who were obese had tripled from 1975 to 2016. Meanwhile, a
research study of 188 countries from Ng et al. (2014) found that 36.9% of men and 38% of
women were overweight, both representing significant increases over a thirty year period. Of
even more concern is the fact that 41 million children under the age of five and 340 million
between the ages of 5-19 were overweight (World Health Organization, 2018). While obesity has
historically been largely considered a problem for developed countries, recent research has found

it has also become an issue in developing nations, with over one-in-seven individuals in
developing nations considered overweight or obese (Ng et al., 2014).
Furthering concern among health care professionals is the fact that efforts to address the
crisis have largely been unsuccessful. Diamond (2010) cited that efforts at both preventing and
treating obesity have been unsuccessful in many nations due to an inability to adequately change
behavior combined with stigma. Roussev (2017) concurred, citing the need for the World Health
Organization to research policies and programs that would be more effective in assisting
governments to prevent obesity among their citizens. Calls for action from researchers have
consistently highlighted the importance of finding effective strategies for addressing this issue.
Thus, the purpose of this research project will be to address the global obesity epidemic
by researching its causes, development, and current status while seeking to propose an effective
and feasible solution supported by the available evidence. This paper will analyze the causes of
obesity, linked health outcomes, and trends. Special attention will be given to more vulnerable
populations such as those with disparate access to health care and resources. Ultimately, the goal
is to recommend methods for addressing the issue in terms of policies and interventions that
could be implemented on a wide scale.
Response
The world’s largest population segment is the youth. While this discussion has highlighted issues
threatening the general health and wellness of people globally, it has not provided ethical
guidance and WHO procedures on mainstream issues that cause greatest health concerns to the
greatest population segment, which is the youth. How does this discussion, therefore, provide
geographical and cultural examinations and analysis to show the health-threatening issues? What
guidance documents does WHO provide to showcase scenarios with most threatening and
common challenges that organizations and individuals face in terms of well-being and health?
For instance, how do researches on global well-being determine the global health outcomes in
line with WHO outlines? How do world health systems help street children and youth, in
general, live with their health conditions or improve their conditions? Discuss the legal and
ethical implications of global legalities on research and living conditions of world youth
population.