Effect Of Food Preparation On The Body Composition Variables Of Food Vendors

WhatsApp or SMS: 07087083227
Click here to Get The Complete Research Project Chapter 1-5

EFFECT OF FOOD PREPARATION ON THE BODY COMPOSITION VARIABLES OF FOOD VENDORS (Chapter 1-5)

Click here to Get this Complete Project Chapter 1-5

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

Food preparation could be a stressful activity. Infact, Amarasuriya (2012) described it as labour-intensive. Right from the shopping stage, to storing, retrieving, preparing the ingredients, to the different cooking stages, the cleanup associated with the: utensils, cooking dishes, the cooking area as well as of the plates/utensils used to serve the food. Added to these is the need to store leftovers and to replenish stocks of ingredients that have run low. These activities show that cooking is indeed labour intensive.

A couple of studies have been carried out in this area, albeit a few, and with a comparatively large time span. In most cases, the studies carried out did not investigate the effect of food preparation on Body Mass Index (BMI), blood pressure and body fat at one time, but different studies research different variables (Rodale, 2015; Majah, 2013)

Food preparation among food vendors tend to be a repetitive activity that is carried out on most days of the week, and therefore worth studying. McDonalds (2004) found the crucial factors associated with food preparation to be heat, smoke and stagnancy. Among food vendors, these factors are especially worth mentioning. Mc Donalds carried out a 6-year study in the United States. The researcher studied the effect of food preparation on BMI and blood pressure alone. He found a slight increase in these variables among his research participants. However, his control group showed a similar alteration in these body composition variables too; making it difficult to attribute these changes to food preparation activities alone.

In another study to determine the effect of food preparation on the body fat percentage of food vendors in Malaysia, Eldar and Hassan (2004) found a significant increase in body fat percentage of 62% of their participants after four years. However, the researchers were hesitant to attribute the increase to just food preparation. They suggested that the food vendors’ constant access to food could play a role.

The most common challenge that researchers face in these studies is that, it is difficult to separate the contribution of food preparation and that of other factors to body composition variables. The focus of this study then is to investigate the effect of food preparation on body composition variables; namely Body Mass Index, blood pressure and body fat.

Statement of the Problem

Food vendors, while in the activity of practicing their trade, tend to go through an enormous degree of stress, as observed by the researcher. Each segment of the food preparation endeavour has a potential to generate stress.

Food preparation occurs in stages, and each stage has implications for the preparer’s health (Amarasuriya, 2014). Food preparation is an activity which the vendors carry out from day to day. It is this fact that makes it worth investigating how it affects body composition variables; in this case, Body Mass Index, blood pressure and body fat.

Food vendors have to convey heavy loads of food items from the vehicle to their food stores. They also have to contend with heat, smoke and steam that gets generated while cooking. After that is the cleanup of all the utensils and the cooking area.

It is also worth mentioning the several minutes, sometimes hours that the vendors have to stand while carrying out this activity.

It is with regard to all these that this study is being carried out.

Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of this study is to assess the effect of food preparation on the body composition variables of food vendors, using the experimental research method. Specifically, this study aims to:

Assess the effect of food preparation on the Body Mass Index of food vendors
Assess the effect of food preparation on the blood pressure of food vendors
Assess the effect of food preparation on the body fat of food vendors

Research Questions

Will food preparation affect the Body Mass Index of food vendors?
Will food preparation affect the blood pressure of food vendors?
Will food preparation affect the body fat of food vendors?

Research Hypotheses

Food preparation will not significantly affect the Body Mass Index of food vendors
Food preparation will not significantly affect the blood pressure of food vendors
Food preparation will not significantly affect the body fat of food vendors

Delimitation of the Study

The study will be delimited to the following:

Experimental research design
40 food vendors in University of Lagos
Use of percentage and frequency counts to describe the demographic data while inferential statistics of t-test will be used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 Alpha level.
1 research assistant

Significance of the Study

This study would provide information to food vendors on how food preparation affects their body composition and why. Also this study would enable the food vendors to embrace safer practices and take more precautions while doing their job.

Operational Definition of Terms

Body: The physical structure of a person, including the bones, flesh, and organs
Mass: Relating to the weight of the body
Index: An indicator, sign or measure of something
Blood: The red liquid that circulates in the arteries and veins of humans and other vertebrate animals, carrying oxygen to and carbon dioxide from the tissues of the body.
Pressure: The continuous physical force exerted on or against an object by something in contact with it.
Fat: a natural oily or greasy substance occurring in animal bodies, especially when deposited as a layer under the skin or around certain organs

Project Overview

Click here to Get this Complete Project Chapter 1-5 Number of Pages: 41 with Questionnaire

Need a Project Writer for a Different Topic

Click here to Get The Complete Research Project Chapter 1-5

Related Posts

Leave a Reply