Hello! Today, we will be looking at food in different aggregates. This topic was tasked to us by our professor in a multidisciplinary module called Indicators.
Food and body image (individual level)
Eating habits and body perception have a two-way causal relationship.
- Body image has a hand in influencing nutritional habits.
- Overweight or underweight perception can lead to changes in diet. (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/287468466)
On an individual scale, it is paramount to investigate the subject matter as a person’s body satisfaction or dissatisfaction can undeniably affect their physical and mental health. A spotlight is shone on adolescents as research has highlighted that body dissatisfaction and weight loss behaviour are frequently exhibited by this specific demographic. (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Susan_Paxton/publication/258830283_Body_image_satisfaction_dieting_beliefs_and_weight_loss_behaviors_in_adolescent_girls_and_boys/links/02bfe5111799334fe8000000.pdf)
Data
Population: Turkey University Students
Intervention: Questionnaire
Sampling method: stratified
Trends identified:
Generally, the caloric intake of the sample is lower than the suggested average caloric intake one should consume. (By developed world standards, the average kcal for females and males are 2000 and 2500 respectively.) When deceived by data, one could posit that the average adolescent in Turkey is consuming insufficient calories every day. The data represented above is incongruent to the findings by population review which states that Turkey ranks as one of the Top 25 most obese nations. (http://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/most-obese-countries/)
After a critical analysis of the data, a systematic error can be identified. Most people tend to not keep track of their daily caloric intakes, hence their estimates may be inaccurate. Underreporting is not uncommon as people like to believe that they are consuming lesser than they actually are. This may be an unconscious bias which affects the results.
Overweight perception seems to be prevalent amongst the sample as a majority rated themselves to be either “slightly overweight’ or “extremely overweight”. This can be credited to the influence of media; how media has subconsciously shaped society’s perception of the desired body for both females and males. (http://www.in-mind.org/article/selfie-esteem-the-relationship-between-body-dissatisfaction-and-social-media-in-adolescent)
Fortunately, there has been a shift towards healthier desired body image and lifestyle choices via the inclusion of plus size models and rising trends like soul cycle, yoga, veganism and intermittent fasting etc.
Relative to women, more men tend to perceive themselves to be “slightly underweight”. This trend could be attributed to the rising desire body image shaped by media. Many find the need to bulk up and achieved the socially desirable: chocolate shaped abdominal muscle and Dorito like body. Other than social expectations, it could also be postulated that this trend is credited to biology. Men have more lean muscle tissues which allow them to burn more calories than body fat. With generally higher rates of metabolism, they tend to lose more weight despite cutting the same amount of calories. This allows men to generally have 11% less body fat than their female counterparts. (https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/do-men-lose-weight-faster-than-women#1)
Food wastage (country scale)
Today, we witness another “Green revolution”. This does not refer to the increase in food resources. In this case, the “Green revolution” would refer to the increase in awareness and consciousness about the environment and how we utilise our resources. Wastage is often looked into and frowned upon.
Via the contrast of the two heat maps, it can be postulated that wealth would reduce perceived scarcity. Consequentially, this encourages abundance and waste.
Though, this might be true. It is important to look at the data critically.
What constitutes as food waste? What is the methodology of the data collection? (Secondary data signals a high level of uncertainty) Is the aggregate generalisable?
From the above, we find that first-hand data are generally more reliable, accurate and objective. They are, however, more costly.
Could the data in the developing world be under-represented/underestimated?
The figure above illustrated that a large majority of relatively less well-off nations tend to be reported less. One should consider the challenges of data collection posed to relatively poorer nations.
1) Limited reach. With limited resources or technology, it may be difficult to collect information over a large geographical space. For many, data collectors may face language barriers due to the variety of local dialects.
2) Data collection may not be a priority. The government would rather channel resources to encourage economic growth to meet the immediate and more pressing physiological needs of its citizen. Estimations provided by the locals may not be accurate.
These limitations are concerning as it raises doubts about the data that is presented to us.
Conclusion
When presented with data, it is important to be critical! It is important to corroborate claims with theories and empirical evidence. If something does not add up, we should all question! Question the data, the collection method, the variables measured (is this the best indicator for my analysis?)and more! Feedback is also important! This post is a compilation of my consult with Prof Charles, classroom learning points, and public feedback (Reddit community). As much as we work towards being critical of our own work, we all can suffer from blind spots! Hence, it is always good to look for a third party opinion!
Thanks! Cool! Bye! :-)
