Experiment – Measuring the Correlation Between Eating Junk Food (Packed Food) and Obesity

Obesity is among the most prevalent chronic conditions linked to lifestyle diseases like
stroke, hypertension, diabetes, and heart failure. Scientists associate obesity with consuming
excess calories more than the body burns through normal daily activities and exercises (Singh et
al., 2021). The disease has also been associated with lifestyle behaviors, especially among
children and teens, like having a massive appetite for junk foods (sweetened beverages and
packed over-the-counter foods). In this experiment, my objective is to explore the correlation
between junk food intake and the onset of obesity among teens aged 13-15 years.
I hypothesize that junk food consumption does significantly increase the risk of obesity.
My independent variables are junk foods (sweetened beverages and snack foods). The dependent
variables comprise obesity biomarkers, including body mass index (BMI), waist/hip ratio
(WHR), and total serum cholesterol levels. I will randomly select and recruit 40 participants aged
between 13 and 15 (20 females and 20 females). These participants will be divided into two
groups: the experimental group (20 members; 10 males and 10 females) and the control group
(20 members; 10 males and 10 females).
The study will take a month after recruiting, getting informed consent, and training
participants. Part of the informed consent will involve explaining to the participants the nature of
the experiment, potential harms and benefits, confidentiality of the information disclosed and
participants’ identities, and the right of each participant to withdraw their participation freely.
Since children below 18 years will be recruited, parents will be required to sign the informed
consent forms. The procedure is as follows. Firstly, before the experiment begins, all 40
participants will be weighed, their heights taken, and their BMI calculated and recorded. Also,

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the waist/hip ratios and total serum cholesterol levels will be taken and recorded. For inclusion in
the study, it will be necessary to ensure that these measurements fall within the normal ranges.
Secondly, all experimental and control group members will each be required to consume a
“standard diet” developed by the research team (2,500 calories daily for men and 2,000 for
females). The research team will donate these meals to participants, and parents must strictly
stick to them for 1 month. In addition to the “standard diet,” the experimental group will be
required to take 500ml of a sweetened beverage (preferably Coca-Cola) and 100 grams of packed
potato chips at least five times a week. This should be voluntary, and participants will be
required to consent. The control group will only stick to the “standard diet.” After four weeks (1
month), the participants’ BMIs, waist/hip ratios, waist circumferences, LDLs, and HDLs will be
measured and compared to pre-experiment values.
I expect the BMI, waist/hip ratio, waist circumference, and total serum cholesterol values
of the experimental group to be higher than those of the control group. This is because eating
junk foods (packed potato chips and sweetened beverages) has been potentially shown to elevate
obesity markers, including the body mass index and cholesterol levels. Any BMI above 30 will
suggest obesity, while 18.5- 24.9 fall within the normal weight range and 25-29.9 indicate that
the participant is overweight. Waist/hip ratios greater than 0.9 for boys and 0.85 for girls also
suggest a potential onset of obesity (Harvard T.H. Chan, n.d.). At the same time, serum
cholesterol levels greater than 170 mg/dl indicate obesity (Brzeziński et al., 2020).
Empirical evidence from recent research has been shown to support these projections
consistently. For example, in a 2014 study by Almuhanna et al. (2014) to investigate the impact
of a higher intake of nutrient-poor and energy-dense foods with elevated levels of saturated fats
and sugar on the onset of diabetes among schoolchildren, the researchers recruited 85 school

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boys and 196 school girls aged between 6 and 15 years in Riyadh City. The objective was to
examine the correlation between dietary consumption of fast food and the onset of childhood
obesity and investigate the effect of other confounding factors, including family living status and
the parent’s income, occupation, and education. The study outcomes showed a strong correlation
between fast food consumption and the onset of obesity (p=0.0280). Approximately 72.5 percent
of obese and overweight schoolchildren took fast food at least four times per week, and an
additional 15.9 percent consumed fast food between 1 and 3 times per week. Only 11.6 percent
of obese and overweight children failed to consume fast food during the test period. The study
found no significant correlation between the parents’ occupation and the onset of obesity.
A similar study by Marlatt et al. (2016) has found a significant correlation between
consuming fast food and the risk of developing obesity among adolescents. This study also
sought to establish whether skipping breakfast reduced the obesity risk. The researchers
examined the risk by comparing metabolic biomarkers associated with obesity pre- and-post
study, including fasting insulin, glucose, body mass index, and fasting lipids. Multivariate
analyses were used to investigate the correlation between selected biomarkers and dietary
behaviors. About 367 adolescents aged 11 and 18 were recruited from the University of
Minnesota-Twin Cities between 2006 and 2008. The study results significantly linked breakfast
consumption with lower metabolic syndrome cluster score, insulin, body fat, and BMI. On the
contrary, fast-food intake was connected to higher LDL cholesterol, body fat, BMI, glucose,
triglycerides, insulin, and metabolic syndrome cluster score (Marlatt et al., 2016). These results
confirm my hypothesis that exposing children and teens to junk food can increase their
likelihood of developing obesity.

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References

Almuhanna, M. A., Alsaif, M., Alsaadi, M., & Almajwal, A. (2014). Fast food intake and
prevalence of obesity in school children in Riyadh City. Sudanese Journal of Pediatrics,
14(1), 71-80.
Brzeziński, M., et al. (2020). Lipid disorders in children living with overweight and obesity –
larger cohort study from Poland. Lipids in Health and Disease, 19(47).
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12944-020-01218-6
Harvard T.H. Chan. (n.d.). Waist size matters. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-
source/obesity-definition/abdominal-obesity/
Marlatt, K. L., Farbakhsh, K., Dengel, D. R., & Lytle, L. A. (2016). Breakfast and fast-food
consumption are associated with selected biomarkers in adolescents. Preventive Medicine
Reports, 3, 49-52.
Singh, A., et al. (2020). Junk food-induced obesity – A growing threat to youngsters during the
pandemic. Obesity Medicine, 26. doi: 10.1016/j.obmed.2021.100364