Nutrition In UAE Schools - Research Proposal Example

Author Tutor Institution Affiliation SUMMARY Government schools in the UAE have a problem of poor nutrition. This proposal presents a plan for the study in which the research will seek to find out why government schools have poor nutrition in the UAE. The problem of poor nutrition is caused by excessive consumption of junk foods. Children are allowed to buy whatever they want to eat while hungry and this gives them the freedom to choose junk food. The researcher will do a field survey in which he will interview respondents, take photos and video recordings and issue questionnaires. The sample will consist of 100 respondents from different schools and government offices. It will consist of students, teachers, parents and government education officials picked at random. Data analysis will be done by qualitative and quantitative means. A pilot study will be conducted prior to the real study. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction……………………………………………………………………… 3 1.1Background Information…………………………………………… 3 1.2 Statement of the Problem………………………………………… 3 1.3 Literature Review…………………………………………………… 4 2.0 Objectives and Research Questions……………………………………………… 5 3.0 Methodology……………………………………………………………………… 6 3.1 Study type, data collection techniques used………………………… 6 3.2 Sample and Sampling Procedures…………………………………… 6 3.3 Plan for Data Collection……………………………………………… 6 3.4 Plan for Data Processing and Analysis……………………………… 7 3.5 Ethical Considerations………………………………………………… 7 3.6 Pre-test…………………………………………………………………. 7 4.0 Work Plan…………………………………………………………………………… 8 5.0 References…………………………………………………………………………… 9 6.0 Annexes……………………………………………………………………………… 10 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background information The United Arab Emirates is one of the gulf countries found in the Arab world. It has a rich economy based on tourism and oil exportation among other foreign exchange earners (Bell, 2013). Due to its strong economic muscle, the UAE can afford to take care of the needs of its citizens without much trouble. One of the areas where the UAE excels is in food security. Both adults and children have food to eat and to spare. However, the availability of much food has turned to be a disadvantage especially to children in public schools. Many children are obese and overweight and suffer from diabetes because they over-indulge in food (Simopoulos, 2005). Public schools lack proper feeding and nutrition programs through which the UAE can ensure that children practice good feeding habits. Because of this, the UAE is known for its poor nutrition especially in government schools. Children are allowed the freedom of eating anything they like. This freedom makes many of them to eat too much junk food which leads to obesity and overweight situations. Children in public schools over-consume starchy foods such as bread and rice (Haboubi & Shaikh, 2009). The situation seems to have dire consequences on these children but the UAE government and society seems unable top control it as quickly as it requires. 1.2 Statement of the problem Many children in United Arab Emirates public schools have poor nutrition which threatens to destroy their academic prospects. This study will be seeking to find out why there is poor nutrition in government schools in the UAE (Flynn 2006). Overeating results in obesity and overweight conditions which are a big threat to the lives of these children. Being obese and overweight can lead to other health complications such as diabetes, heart problems and high blood pressure among many other difficulties. The government of the UAE is grappling with how to solve this problem because it is a disaster in the waiting especially for the future, bearing in mind that the country relies on these children for the future. Diseases related to poor nutrition may hinder good academic performance in government schools and this may become a big problem for the education sector and in the future, the economy of the country (Haboubi & Shaikh 2009). Therefore, there is need to understand why there is poor nutrition in government schools in the UAE. This understanding can be the genesis of solving the nutrition problem in these schools. The same strategies can also be employed to solve similar problems in private schools and other institutions where they may exist. If the UAE is to have a strong and healthy workforce to sustain its economy in the days to come, effective and lasting solutions must be created for these problems. 1.3 Literature review Most parents with children in government schools are to blame for allowing their children to over-rely on junk foods. Almost a half of parents in the UAE agree that they allow their children to take junk food. This is a major contributing factor to the poor state of nutrition in UAE’s government schools. Junk food has a lot of kilocalories and does not contain nutrients needed for nourishing the body. A study done by Lewis (2013) shows that many children in the UAE depend on junk food because many of them are allowed to make a choice of the type of food they want to eat. Cases of malnutrition in government schools are rampant but this is not the case in private schools (Bell 2013). The absence of a proper feeding program in government schools is the cause of malnutrition and unhealthy eating habits. Children are allowed the option of purchasing food whenever they feel hungry. Nutrition and diet experts say that children take lesser nutrients and more calories for the latter part of the day after taking junk food. Eating of junk food causes many health problems in the bodies of the children which eventually graduate into psychological and physical health. When people consume junk foods for a long time their arteries can get clogged (Bowman 2007). In addition, junk foods and those foods with high levels of sugar destroy the energy levels in the body and lower the ability of children to concentrate for long. Poor nutrition causes problems such as obesity which results from high blood cholesterol which makes the body vulnerable to various health problems. The problem of poor nutrition is prevalent in the UAE and the interesting thing is that both children and adults are affected (Lobstein, Baur & Uauy 2004). 2. OBJECTIVES & RESEARCH QUESTIONS The main objective of this study is: To find out why there is the problem of poor nutrition in government schools in the United Arab Emirates. Other objectives are: To find out the kind of nutrition problem that exists in UAE government schools. To find out the reasons for poor nutrition in UAE’s government schools To find out possible solutions to the problem of poor nutrition in government schools The main research question for the study is: Why is the nutrition in government schools in the UAE poor? Other questions are: What kind of nutrition problem exists in UAE’s public schools? What are the reasons for poor nutrition in UAE’s government schools? What are the solutions to the problem of poor nutrition in government schools? 3. METHODOLOGY 3.1 Study type, data collection techniques used This study will basically be a field study whereby the researcher will get involved in collection of data from respondents. It is both a qualitative and quantitative survey. Data collection will be done through both primary and secondary research. Primary data will be collected through the issuance of questionnaires, interviews and observation. On the other hand, secondary data will be gathered from journals, media reports, the internet and books (Punch, 2006). Interviews will be done with the use of questionnaires which are expected to serve as a guide to the researcher when conducting the interviews. The researcher will have to travel to different schools, homes and education sector offices in the UAE in order to interview respondents (Denicolo & Becker 2012). 3.2 Sample and sampling procedures The research sample will have 100 respondents picked at random. The sample will have 30 parents, 20 teachers, 30 students and 20 education officials to represent the government. All of them will be obtained through random sampling because they are located far form each other (Robertson, 2009). Random sampling will be used to pick the schools and government offices in the UAE whose parents, teachers and education officials will be contacted for the study. A total of 50 schools and 50 government offices will be picked from which the participants will come from. Some schools will be picked from the rural areas while others will be chosen from the cities (Robertson 2009). 3.3 Plan for data collection Data collection will be prepared for in advance by collecting all the instruments required such as books, pens, video and audio recorders and cameras among other required equipment. Before the real gathering of data in the field, the researcher will conduct a pilot study followed by a reconnaissance study (Denicolo & Becker, 2012). He will then test the instruments to be used in data collection to ensure that they are workable. The researcher will visit all the schools and government offices scheduled and try to meet all the respondents in person. However, where not possible he will use emails and telephone calls to reach them. 3.4 Plan for data processing and analysis Data processing will be done both qualitatively and quantitatively. The researcher will use the measures of central tendency such as mode, median and mean to process and analyze quantitative data. For the qualitative data, he will carefully scrutinize and examine the information collected to determine its relevance to the topic. He will then avoid irrelevant information and adopt that which relates to the topic (Denicolo & Becker, 2012). 3.5 Ethical considerations The researcher will be keen to consider all the ethical requirements of the study. Before allowing the respondents to volunteer any information that can be used in the study, the researcher will seek to have their informed consent. This means that the researcher will give them prior information about the details of the study and the topic under study (Punch, 2006). Would-be respondents will be allowed to decide for themselves if they are able to take part in the research bearing in mind any repercussions that would come with their involvement. 3.6 Pre-test The sub-sample will be made up of the first 10 participants. This sub-sample will be used to evaluate how questionnaires will be used for data collection as well as research workability. It will also be used to evaluate how the participants will be able to understand the questionnaires and how well the participants will answer the questions appropriately. The criteria for including the participants in the sub-sample, the process of recruiting them and the setting will be similar to those of the main study (Robertson, 2009). The level of understanding the questions was tested with the use of this open ended question: How you found any words or sentences that prove difficult to understand? 4. WORK PLAN Date Item Tutor Event/Assessment September 20 Submit proposal forms Allocation of supervisors October 3 Start and finish literature survey, Develop methodology Meet supervisor regularly October 20 Submit research methodology & begin field studies Hand in methodology for ethical approval October 28 Submit draft literature review & Write proposal Give report to supervisor for feedback November 27 Finish primary research & Write dissertation Give written work to supervisor December 17 Submit final dissertation for marking First Assessment December 20 Oral presentation Final assessment References Bell J., (2013). One child in three is overweight or obese, UAE study shows. New York (NY): Oxford University Press, p. 452-626. Bowman R. (2007). Evaluating Experiential Nutrition Programs in Elementary Schools. ProQuest. Denicolo P. & Becker L. (2012). Developing Research Proposals. SAGE. Flynn M. (2006). Reducing obesity and related chronic disease risk in children and youth: a synthesis of evidence with ‘best practice’ recommendations. Obesity Reviews. Vol. 7, Issue 1, pp. 7–66. Haboubi G.J & Shaikh R. (2009). A comparison of the Nutritional Status of Adolescents from Selected of South India and UAE: A cross sectional Study. Indian Journal of Community Med. April; 34(2): 108–111. Lewis R., (2013). The immediate effect fast food has on children. Amazon Publishers. p 45-55. Lobstein T. Baur L & Uauy R., (2004). Obesity in children and young people: a crisis in public health. Obesity Reviews. Vol. 5 issue1, pp. 4–85. Punch K. (2006). Developing Effective Research Proposals. SAGE. Robertson C. (2009). Safety, Nutrition, Health in Early Education. Cengage Learning. Simopoulos A. (2005). Nutrition and Fitness: Obesity the Metabolic Syndrome, Cardiovascular Disease and Cancer. Karger Medical and Scientific Publishers. Read More