Research Proposal on Childhood Obesity

Child obesity is a condition characterized by the child having too much fat in the body to an extent of his or her health being in danger. In adults, it could be described as a state of having a body mass index of more than thirty (Paxon, 2006). Parents feeding them with too many calories bring about obesity in children. The excess calories are converted to fats that accumulate in the child’s body. This child will develop a big body because he or she will add weight and become quite fleshy. Obese children are at a risk of getting very adverse health effects, some of which are fatal. The study found that high blood pressure in childhood was only a weak predictor of early death and high cholesterol was not associated with premature death, but experts suggested those factors were easier to control with medication. A rare study that tracked thousands of children through adulthood found the heaviest youngsters were more than twice as likely as the thinnest to die prematurely, before age 55, of illness or a self-inflicted injury. Being overweight during childhood and adolescence increases the risk of developing high cholesterol, hypertension, respiratory ailments, orthopedic problems, depression and type 11 diabetes as a youth. One disease of particular concern is Type 11 diabetes, which has linked to overweight and obesity and has increased dramatically in children and adolescents. Watching television, using the computer, and playing video games occupy a large percentage of children’s leisure time, influencing their physical activity levels. Overweight children and adolescents are more likely to become overweight or obese adults. It is an extremely difficult cycle to break. An unhealthy diet and a sedentary lifestyle are known risk factors for the three leading causes of death in adults: cancer, stroke and cardiovascular disease. Hypertension is the commonest problem facing man at present. Though the understanding of hypertension has improved considerably with an increased awareness of the disorder in the general population, the control of hypertension has been dismally poor. During my research, I personally have found that blood pressure levels often equate with low birth weight, body mass, maternal age, racial factors, childhood obesity, insulin levels, an elevated blood pressure during childhood, and a positive family history. In fact, children from hypertensive families generally tend to have higher blood pressure levels than kids from normotensive families. Besides, there is also a greater association in blood pressure levels between fathers and their children. One of the major causes of obesity to be addressed is eating excess calories from energy rich foods. Eating a variety of healthy foods is necessary for optimal growth and development, Protects against disease and provides energy to play, explore and learn. This is also accompanied by inadequate exercising or working out. This results in fats accumulating in the body. Parents should monitor their children’s feeding habits and take them for regular check-up. There are many ways that parents can help their children on a healthier path. Start early to establish healthy eating practices at home; be a role model, kids love to follow if lead by example. Plan healthier snacks that meet the nutritional needs and kids enjoy eating as well. To determine whether a child is obese or not, his or her body mass index is measured. It is then compared to the child’s height. In case a child is obese, treatment should be sought promptly before more damage is done by this condition. The diet should be balanced and meals should be eaten in a regular schedule. The child should also be assisted to shed the unnecessary weight. This should be done using the safest method. The child should also be encouraged to work out a lot and be very active. The find acquired so far include prevention and the long-term effects that would be brought on by by obesity. To prevent obesity from affecting one’s child, the parent should ensure that he or she eats low-calorie foods. The child should also increase the intake of fruits, vegetables and water. A child should be encouraged to participate in outdoor activities such as sports and games. If a child becomes obese and little or nothing is done, there are long-term effects. These include diseases like coronary issues and problems with respiratory system. Due to poor health, children may not live up to their potential. Parents’ spending a fortune for their child treatments brings non-satisfaction and potential depression (Kazaks & Stern, 2009). Mothers who have jobs do not directly cause weight problems in their children, but families that are busy not really having the time to prepare food that rely on fast food and frozen dinners. Addressing obesity in children is a very vital issue. It is important to understand what causes this condition, how to identify it, treat and prevent it. The health of our children is the most important thing. No parent would like their children to suffer terminal diseases or die at an early age especially because of obesity. Children would also want to live up to their dreams and achieve their best. Obesity has been noted to cause not only body disorders but also mental instability in children. A child who is obese will probably have low self-esteem, suffer depression and be very inactive. It is important to address the problem in order to avoid all the likely consequences caused by obesity.

Meaning of Free-Enterprise System Essay

Free-enterprise is defined as the freedom of individuals or groups of individuals to engage in business ventures with the minimum intervention of the state (or its political apparatus, the government) (Smith 1776/1904). There are three parts in this definition. First, free-enterprise is defined as freedom of individuals; in classical economic theory, freedom to engage in economic activities is an extension of individual freedom. Added to that, this freedom to participate in economic activities is corollary to making personal choices, which unrestricted, constitute individual freedom (like other freedoms). The second part of this definition is the statement that individuals can engage in business ventures. This can be achieved so long as the individual has the capital to establish his business. In economic theory, capital is defined as the assets, in the form of money, technology, physical infrastructure, human skills, etc. that can have a possible rate of returns. Individuals can use this capital to accumulate wealth, that is, to create more capital and profit. Nevertheless, in a free-enterprise, capital however is dictated by the laws of supply and demand. Capital will only have a fruitful rate of return if it is utilized to producing goods demanded by the consumers. Capital utilized for producing products not demanded by the public will either have a lower rate of returns or push the business into exiting from the market. Lastly, the requisite for free-enterprise is what economists call â€Å"minimum intervention of the state. † In simple terms, in order for the laws of supply and demand to take effect, the government must not intervene in the economic activities of the country. The laws of supply and demand cannot work in a system wherein economic activities are either restricted or controlled by the state or government. Whenever the government restricts business activities, the natural mechanism of adjusting production and demand becomes blurred (policies), and thus may create an artificial shortage in the market. Added to that, Adam Smith (1776/1904) argued that if markets are left on its own, it will naturally supply the public its demand. The capitalists or businessmen, eyeing public demand as an opportunity for acquiring profit, utilize their capital for producing products that the public demands. The self-interests of both the businessmen and the consumers will naturally lead to prosperity. Smith (1776) noted however that the government’s roles in the free-market system are limited to the following: 1) military protection of the state, 2) creation of an amiable economic climate, and 3) construction of public works. However, in real life, it is impossible for government not to intervene in the market. Environmental disasters may create a shortage in the market, raising prices to multiple folds. The government then can institute some price mechanisms in order to protect the consuming public from unregulated and irresponsible business activities. Good and Bad Kinds of Markets in a Free-Enterprise System Because free-enterprise is defined as the freedom of individuals or group of individuals to engage in economic activities with the minimum intervention of the government or state, it is noteworthy that a loose classification of such had been made by different economists. These economists either favor a virtually unrestricted form of free-enterprise or a combination of command and free-market system. The first set of economists argued that free-enterprise system necessitates the establishment of an economy under perfect competition. These classical economists argued that if government will let the market do its natural function, relative adjustment in prices for certain products will cause a relative change in demand, and also a corresponding change in supply. In the supply side, because every firm in a perfectly competitive market has an equal share of market, a change in the price of one firm will cause a change in the price of other firms. In the end, the consuming public will benefit from this relationship because prices are well adjusted by market mechanisms. On the wage side, whenever a change in the production inputs occurs, a corresponding change in the wage side also occurs. Firms will adjust their wage schedules and a level of equilibrium is achieved which would benefit the general public. On the production side, classical economists argued that in a perfectly competitive market changes in prices of goods will have a corresponding change in the wage level; the price level described as flexible and the wage rate inflexible. Whenever a change in prices of goods occurs, all will follow, and thus the market will be in a state of equilibrium. In this condition, the supply and demand for goods are situated in one price (for a particular good). When equilibrium is reached in the market, both the aggregate demand and aggregate supply in the market becomes relatively equal. This will prevent the creation of an artificial shortage in the market. These conditions of free-enterprise however work in an ideal situation. In reality, the government can intervene in the market in at least three ways: 1) control the activities of monopolies and cartels, 2) set price controls for certain basic goods, and 3) control the supply of money. These functions may be classified as effective or necessary. It can be necessary because these activities and conditions will naturally affect the general welfare of the public. Effective because government interventions may take the form of a general welfare policy far removed from the rumblings of the political arena. Monopolies and cartels are perverted forms of the free-enterprise system. Monopolies usually control the larger portion of the market supply of a particular good. The implication is that these monopolies can dictate the price in the market at the expense of the general public. It is expected that the deadweight loss in this condition will be much larger than economies with imperfect market competition (economies differentiating products), precisely because the welfare surplus is converted into a certain rate of profit by the monopolies. They can do this by controlling the supply of goods in the market. Since they control most of the supply of a particular good, prices will be adjusted based on the profit schedule of the firm. Cartels function the same way as monopolies but differ in two ways. Monopolies usually involve one firm who controls most of the supply of a particular good in the market. Cartels are composed of firms producing the same product and have relatively equal share of the market pie of a particular good. These firms may corrode to control the price of a good in the market to achieve the expected level of profit, and of course to avoid competition. Welfare surplus in this case will still be large due to the corresponding fall of expected returns to the consumers. What I have outlined are the good and bad kinds of markets in a free-enterprise system. The perfectly competitive market is the ideal free-enterprise system. For theoretical purposes, the perfectly competitive market is itself the free-enterprise system since it well transcribes the characteristics of a laissez-faire system. However, because this is only an ideal type, perverted forms are well imbibed in the free-market system, that is, they are assumed to be part and parcel of this economic system. In a sense, the definition of free-enterprise that I presented is the definition that captures the postulates of classical economics. Classical economics classified good and bad forms of the so-called free-enterprise system, although it is wrong to argue that there is such thing as â€Å"bad free-enterprise† because theoretically it is an ideal type that strives for the good of the general public. This approach to the definition of a free-enterprise system is classical in nature and does not take into account some of the contemporary economic arrangements that are shaping the economies of many nations, poor and rich nations alike. Capitalism, Neo-Classical Economics, and Free-Enterprise In his book, Carson (2001) argued that the so-called free-enterprise system that classical economists are boasting is in fact transformed into the so-called capitalist system. The capitalist system provides the businessmen when the capacity of limiting the wages of the laborer. The state now, protects corporations (which are embodiments of the capitalist ordeals) through limited liability, laws on protection of assets, high interest rates, and of course low taxes. It seems that the free-enterprise system which was meant to be at the service of the general public is now an apparatus of the capitalists to expand their share of the market. Capitalism is not free-enterprise. Free-enterprise system is the contradiction of the capitalist system in its economic goals and assumptions. Keynes (1936) noted that in the era of modern economics, prices of goods in the market are inflexible in the short-run. Short-run adjustments of production schedules and wages will not be smooth since the overall inventory of the firm depends on the expected rate of demand of the public, the actual expenditure, and the price itself. The implication of this is the fact that free-enterprise can only be achieved partially in the long-run. In the short run, distortions in the market will create monopolies and cartels,; in the long-run these will be eliminated, thus the achievement of the so-called â€Å"free-enterprise† system.

Assessment and Feedback Essay

Many of my lessons involve embedding literacy into a topic so it is more meaningful for the learners. There are various ways of assessing work which are used. One method that is used is initial assessment, where the learners at the beginning of their induction into our pre-16 program do an online BSKB initial assessment in Maths, English and ICT. This is to ensure that the learner is at the right level of learning. These tests are formative and convergent where choices of multiple choice questions give indications of gaps in the learner’s knowledge. Once the learner has  completed an initial assessment they are then given the diagnostic BSKB assessment to see what subject strengths and weaknesses they have. These learners tend not to have attended much school therefore it is difficult to assess the work they produce as very often little or no work is achieved. Assessment is about making a judgment to make sure that learning is taking place. It is about identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the learner so that the learner is progressing with the work that is set. Assessment in all forms that involve making a judgment and it includes an element of subjectivity by me. It should be objective, fair and transparent. It plays an important role in the education process as it determines the work students undertake and affects their approach to learning. There are varying degrees of assessment that are designed primarily to serve the purposes of accountability, or of ranking, or of certifying competence. However, an assessment activity can help learning if it provides information that I can use and can give students feedback. Feedback can be used to modify teaching and learning activities in which the learners are engaged in. Such assessment becomes formative when  the evidence is actually used to adapt the teaching work to meet learning needs. Much of what teachers and learners do in the classroom is assessment based. Tasks and questions prompt learners to demonstrate their knowledge, understanding and skills. How the learners respond and interpret this can give indications of how their learning can be improved. Verbal feedback and discussion tends to be the main method that I use where opinions can be discussed and attainment of knowledge can be assessed during lessons. This is classed as affective learning where topics can gain an emotional response or a tone of interest/values that the  learner may have prior knowledge or experience. These types of responses are 1 usually focused on the learner’s feelings, and they are often difficult to measure in quantifiable terms. However, in my classroom, I want the learners to feel that their work is valued and that the effort has been worthwhile. During lessons, informal assessment is the preferred choice for me and my pre-16 colleague as students are wary of tests or exams. The reason for this maybe the learner’s previous experience of learning or the fact that they feel vulnerable when the word test, exam or assessment occurs within the learning environment. Informal assessment is easily incorporated into classroom routines and learning activities. It can be used at any time without interfering with teaching. The results give indication of the learner’s performance on the skill or subject of interest. However, it is not intended to give a broader view of the learner’s ability apart from the lesson that took place. This is not to say that informal assessment is spontaneous or absent from accuracy. Formal tests assume a single set of expectations for all students and come with prescribed criteria for scoring and interpretation. Informal assessment, on  the other hand, requires a clear understanding of the levels of ability the students bring with them. Only then may assessment activities be selected that students can attempt reasonably. Measuring the validity and reliability of informal assessments is achieved by expected goals and objectives outcomes. Once the work is completed, I assess the knowledge that the learners have gained by their attempted completion of the tasks. Scoring procedures can be used to measure progress and achievement in content areas and literacy skills can be measured by oral, reading and written work. Reliability is a statistical measure of which we can trust the results of a given writing test. Reliability estimations and their interpretations will vary according to particular assessment contexts and purposes. In real practice, high score reliability is indeed necessary and feasible in large-scale assessment, where the actual tests are the main source of interpretable information. In more local contexts (e. g. classrooms), reliability measurements are to a great extent unfeasible and, simultaneously, other sources for qualitative evaluation are available. The work that the learners produced enabled me to assess their level of  understanding and also their literacy progress. Feedback was given in written format on the activity worksheet, to identify strengths and weaknesses of each individual 2 learner. All the learners attempted the worksheet and I gave feedback in the format of Petty (2004) medals and missions. Medals (sometimes called positive reinforcement) are given when the learner has done something well, such as spellings or written something in their own words although most of the learners just wrote down what was on the computer screen. This was what I commented on as missions where the learners need to improve, correct or work upon. Written tasks, alongside oral questioning, should encourage students to develop and show understanding of the key features of what they have learned. Opportunities are given during lessons for the learners to respond to comments made about their work and advice is given on what areas they are struggling on. The key point to feedback is for it to be effective and for the learners to think about the good and bad points in their work and that clear goals can be achieved. The negative aspect of feedback for disaffected learners is that low self-esteem influences their reaction to feedback. Building self-esteem and confidence is one of the main aspects in my classroom. Low self-esteem can knock confidence and ability and their previous experiences of learning can have a considerable impact on their academic ability. In this environment learners are in a vulnerable position and in some cases their low esteem can be forgotten by teachers due to distractions and challenging behaviour. The comments I make have to be sensitive and constructive so that the comments do not impact on the learner’s self-esteem and confidence. The comments are to be constructive and build on their learning capabilities. When I  ask the learners whether or not they understood the feedback given regarding their work, the learners give the appearance that they are not bothered about the feedback or acted disinterested. Students find the feedback messages hard to understand and complex in their meaning especially in the written form. However, when feedback is used as dialogue within the lesson it provides opportunities for feedback and feedforward. This is a good scenario as the learner responds to initial feedback with their opinions. This gives the chance for the teacher to help the learners develop their understanding and has an instant response in correcting  misunderstandings. Although, the response to verbal feedback regarding the learners knowledge, skills and understanding is feasible in the classroom, further development of feedback and feedforward is required so that the student can improve and grow in their 3 understanding of the subject and true learning has taken place. When I assess a learner this has an impact on my teaching. The feedback I get from the students gives me the opportunity to reflect on my practices and adjust accordingly so that the learners are engaged, focused and completing the tasks given during lessons. However, learners’ indifference to learning and feedback can cloud my judgement about what I am doing right or wrong. In my sessions I need to develop the dual narrative where the learners work together as a group but also there are one to one opportunities. This would work towards full differentiation where students are working independently but within a whole group setting. This has been difficult to achieve yet it is possible; progress has been made with the learners providing work that can be assessed verbally or written. However, it has taken six months to gain  trust, confidence and self-esteem of the learners to provide any work at all. Nonetheless, with a longer time restraint development of feedback and feedforward can be achieved. The learners need to see feedback as a reflection on their work not that it’s personal to them, the problem these learners face is to understand what feedback is and what its intentions are. The trouble is that once the disaffected learners arrive at Rathbone they already feel that school as failed them therefore feel disengaged with the learning environment. This can be a contributing factor to the way they feel towards assessments. The attitude towards motivating and engaging the learners towards learning objectives is a more social context. Therefore, the attitude of Rathbone and its staff is to gain confidence, trust and self-esteem so that learning is more enjoyable to them. This then becomes a platform for the learners to want to learn post 16. As their teacher, the environment is complex and challenging however I feel that the learners are starting to become aware of what is required of them in the classroom. This means that I am doing something right and that my assessments, judgement and feedback are starting to be acknowledged.

Procurement Methods Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Procurement Methods - Assignment Example In this project, the construction procurement techniques that will be talked about are the novated design and build methods, accelerated traditional methods and the construction management approach. Construction administration is as procurement course in which the works are built by various different foremen. These builders are contracted to the customer yet overseen by a development supervisor. The construction supervisor goes about as a specialist for the customer, controlling and facilitating the working contracts. The development administrator is by and large selected ahead of schedule in the outline change so their experience can be utilized to enhance the fabricate capacity and bundling of suggestions as they build. This can empower some exchange foremen to be delegated sooner than others, possibly shortening the time taken to finish the responsibility assigned. Then again, there will be the value instability until the configuration is finished and all agreement has been let. Accelerated traditional method is a system where a builder is selected prior in the arrangement of design on the premise of fractional data, either by transaction or in competition. Arrangement, from the premise of the starting, incomplete data, happens once the last outline data gets to be accessible. Development begins when the outline is created to the last stage (Bennett, 1990). Whilst this permits an early begin on location, it additionally involves less conviction about expense. In Accelerated traditional method, some outline covers development. It is accomplished by letting a different, advance works contract. For instance, by permitting foundations (site leeway, heaping and establishments) to continue to construct once arranging consent has been gotten keeping in mind the design for whatever remains of the building is finished, and by tendering over the ground development independently. This lessens the aggregate

Describe the political warfare between the federalist and their Essay

Describe the political warfare between the federalist and their opponents,the Jeffersonians ,during the 1790s, - Essay Example His objective was to rally national support for Hamiltons economic programs and creation of a strong national government. He formed acquaintances with like-minded supporters of independence or nationalists on realizing the need for vocal political support in the states. He used his network of treasury agents to bond friends of the government, especially bankers and merchants in the dozen major cities of the new nation. The Federalists Party became popular with businesspersons, mostly people from New England. Its distinguished representatives included Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, John Jay and author Noah Webster. The Jeffersonian Republicans on the other hand emerged within three years of the Constitution inauguration. Americans.net records that no longer able to agree to the various policies that President Washington advocated, Thomas Jefferson left the Cabinet in 1793. Together with James Madison and lesser figures in the infant federal government, they formed a coalition that took to the leadership of popular opposition to economic and financial programs of Alexander Hamilton. They feared the intense threat to the American experiment in popular self-governance by the broad interpretation of the Constitution advanced on their behalf, the policies of the first secretary of the Treasury, and the anti-populist reactions that some of Hamiltons supporters expressed. The opposition deepened after 1793 when Britain and revolutionary France entered into twenty years of war. It extended into foreign policy and marshaled a large enough portion of the population such that historians describe Jeffersonian Republicans as the first American political party. By 1792, newspapers started referring to Hamilton supporters as Federalists while they referred to Jefferson’s supporters as Democrats, Republicans, Jeffersonians or Democratic-Republicans. They were generally farmers and opposed a strong central government. The state networks of both Federalist and

Annal report Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Annal report - Assignment Example Most stock exchanges prefer continuous illustration of the accounting performance of the listed companies (Stanley, 2009). Examples of basic annual accounting records include; Trading profit and loss account, balance sheet, general corporate information, cash flow statement, accounting policies, director report, auditor report, and financial review. Other relevant financial information required by stakeholders include; corporate social responsibility information, that illustrates social and environmental sensitive activities. The details shown in the annual accounting reports are utilized by investors in determining the present financial position of the company, in relation to the future financial and operation direction. In the United States of America, a relatively complex financial report referred to as the Form 10-K is legally filed at the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission (William, 2011). The authority and responsibilities associated with preparation of the annual accounting reports and associated financial statements=, lies with the company directors. The directors choose the most appropriate accounting approaches, and then use them consistently. The applicable accounting procedures must adhere to the professionally accepted accounting principles (Richard,

Should i buy or should i rent Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Should i buy or should i rent - Essay Example Therefore, the main objective of monetary theory analysis is to understand how to analyze and communicate findings of various investment projects. Consequently, this essay discusses the process project evaluation, techniques of evaluation, theory of interest rate, real situation of mortgage business in United Kingdom specifically the interest rates and other important figures. In the end I attempt to answer a question on whether to buy a home or rent a house. I use the conventional methods of evaluating new ventures to arrive at a decision of buying a house. Capital investments involve spending money on assets that are used to make the business operational. These monies go into meeting the demands of the project. Such demands include wages, utilities costs, land, rent and equipment. This often require colossal amount of startup capital which may be borrowed, raised through equity or saved from earnings. Since money is an important limited resource, the decision to invest on a project must be backed by evidence of profitability and cost benefit analysis. It is important to note that most capital investment are long term and good choice of project is critical. Besides, other factors like amount of capital which eventually determines the type of project must also be considered. Attention should also be given to risk associated with the business and the payback time, whether long term or short term. It is important to note that the question about best investment choices has no straight forward answer. In other words there is no guarantee that the best investment analyst will advise precisely on the future prospect of the project. It all depends on both macro and micro economic factors prevailing at the moment. Therefore, it the duty of the investor to evaluate the cost and benefits associated with the project. Although it is not easy to pinpoint a specific way to deal with this challenge, various methods of determining project viability are available. The two most commonly used techniques are net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return (IRR). These techniques involves finding out the projected cash flows and costs. Nevertheless, the net present value is considered superior to internal rate of return because in some instances a high yield rate does not mean the business is profitable. Internal return rate is based on already determined discount rate which may be not be accurate (Gaylon and Philip 2003). The net present value indicates the value of the business today. It takes into consideration all cash flows and the duration values. These include the initial startup capital and future incomes. The inflows are assigned positive values while outflows are given negative values. For instance if the initial outlay is ? 100,000, this will be considered negative when computing net cash inflow. This because this money has been used to finance the project operation and is not part of income earned from the project. When all these values are co mbined, the result gives the net value of the project. In cases where the investor can establish the amount of money flowing in or out at specific fixed time, the money is treated as rate of cash flow. For instance, a landlord who collect ? 3,000 from rents, has a rate of cash inflow rather than cash inflow. The net cash flow ct at specific time = cash inflows at time t – cash outflows at time t The net rate of cash flows in unit time = net