Week 8

As Dr.Galey mentioned in his post, only some things can be known in numbers. One, or I should rather say, a group of statistics that has stuck with me surround the increased rates of childhood and adolescent obesity in North America from the past 10 years. I came across this American report at work which discusses the relationship between Outdoor Recreation, Heath, and Wellness and how to enhance it through rec programs directed at children. Approximately 8 million children are overweight and obesity rates have doubled in the past two decades. Studies show childhood obesity contributes to an array of life long health problems and poor emotional wellbeing. One solution to this problem is increased emphasis on physical activity and nutrition in rec programs as well as more time spent outdoors. Studies show the earlier children are exposed to healthy lifestyle habits their chances of becoming obese amongst many other negative effects are significantly decreased. Without monitoring health and crunching numbers we would not know how widespread this issue is. One of the ways this study was done to humanize it was through the help of visual aids detailing effects and videos of educational and fitness seminars with certain demographics.

I think much like Luker’s text tries to drive home, good research should try to find a sweet spot between qualitative and quantitive information. Depending on the audience this may be a good starting point to attract readers who may not necessarily read the study due to a lack of familiarity with statistical information. Humanizing information, depending on the subject, also shows a degree of respect and allows subjects dignity. Finally, in terms of a possible proposal or grant, finding this balance may be a useful selling point to capture the interest of those who may only skim over your proposal.