The Power of Calories

The Calorie
Questionnaire
Quick
Facts
The Power of Calories

BY: RYAN ACKLES
INTRODUCTION
The goal of This Class Project, which was centered around Healthy Living and
obesity prevention, was to educate our local community about benefits of
living Healthy. According to the cdc, childhood obesity has doubled over
the past thirty years and long-term health effects include heart disease, type
two diabetes, and many forms of cancer. through Performing research and
exploring this topic for weeks, getting HTHNC involved with a series of
engaging outdoor activities, and educating elementary school students
about how they can keep their bodies strong and healthy, we were able to
accomplish this exact goal. I also needed to create an individual project
component that would represent the knowledge that I took away from this
entire six-month experience. I chose to research the concept of calories
because while i always knew they existed in our lives, i never was able to grasp
what their purpose was. In addition to studying the science of calories, i also
wanted to dive into middle school students familiarity with this important
form of energy given my own lack of knowledge with regards to calories.
Because of the long-term effects of childhood obesity, its important that
middle schoolers are aware of Calories, their benefits, as well their
potentially harmful Effects, which can arise due to consuming too many or
too little of them.
Survey Results
~ only case where 7th
graders had a higher rate
of correct Answers than
the other grades
~ the percentage of middle

school students who
chose the right answer in
all three grade levels
averaged out to 79.22
~ the 7th Graders had a

correct percentage of
59.09%, while just 50%
of the students from
both 6th and 8th grade
were able to answer this
question correctly
~ This question also

produced the lowest
range (just 4.55%) in
percentage between 6th
and 8th grade
~ only question where 6th
graders had the highest
percentage
~ While 63.64% of 6th
graders and 54.55% have
heard nothing about calories
from their parents within this
past year, just 7.14% of 8th
graders have not heard about
calories from a parent or
other family member
Methodology
In continuation with this point of interest, i sent out a survey to htmnc
students across all grader levels to figure out how experienced they were
with calories. Once again, this deeper question was inspired by my own
inexperience with a concept that seems like general knowledge in todays
world. The survey, titled the Calorie Questionnaire was highlighted Eleven
open and close-ended questions (and one agreeance statement) about
students grade level, knowledge of calories, and interest to learn more
about calories. Furthermore, the survey included two questions that
specifically tested a given students ability to determine whether one item had
more calories than another when given two options. These two calorie
comparisons were between a snickers bar and an apple (with the snickers bar
Containing more calories than the apple) and a Monster energy drink and
mcdonalds french fries (with the mcdonalds french fries Prevailing over the
apple in this calorie contest ).
After receiving forty-Seven responses from 6th, 7th, and 8th graders over
the course of four days, i realized that the closed-ended questions were more
helpful and easier to categorize than the responses where students could
choose to comment however they pleased. For these reasons, I chose not to
include this response type in my research poster and instead, decided to
break-down the data and write my conclusions by grade level. By dividing the
survey results into three categories and comparing each of the grade levels
as a whole, I could create thoughts and developments based on the learning
progress of these different educational stages. To the left, you may view a
portion of the data received from this survey as well as the conclusions i
have made from this compelling set of information.
~ over 75% of all

students surveyed in all
grade levels answered
this question correctly
~ statistic could be flipped

around, over 92% of 8th
graders have heard about
calories from a family
member during or before
their 8th grade Year
~ despite calories
importance, less than 50%
of students from all
grades believe that
calories need to be
discussed more
~ Even though 6th and 7th
graders heard less talk
about calories from family
members and teachers than
8th graders, they had a
lower percentage as a
group for this question
than 8th graders
~ possibly the most

surprising result given
that 7th grade does not
possess the youth or
experience Advantage if
that plays any role in
these results
~ A shocking 81.82% of 6th
graders have not heard
anything about calories from
their teachers
~ the rate decreases with each
grade level, many 8th graders
highlighted in their surveys
that they did a project centered
around calories
~ question: how is this
information being introduced
and taught (if it all) to the
students in HTMNC classrooms?
~ it is promising that most of

the 6th graders who were
surveyed want to know more
about this form of energy
~ Based on all of the survey
responses from the 8th
graders, 42.86 of them
mentioned that they did a
project on calories at some
point in their survey, which
makes the 8th grade results
to the left slightly more
acceptable
~ 1 joule (unit of work/energy) equals 0.000239006 of a calorie.

~ Jennifer McDaniel (spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and
Dietetics) - Theres conventional wisdom that men shouldnt eat fewer than
1,500 calories and women 1,200 calories to ensure that theyre getting a
balance of major nutrients and micronutrients.
~ Calories allow the human body to gain and sustain energy production and
if necessary, can transform into amino acids or protein. After moving into
the bodys bloodstream, calories turn into cells or energy.
~ The amount of energy (calories) your body needs directly correlates to
your height and weight.
~ Taking in too many calories in tandem with not exercising can lead to an
increase in weight and other severe health problems, and not receiving
enough calories can result in low nutrition and energy levels.
~ the more high-energy activities you partake in, the more calories your
body will need to Consume.
~ The energy that your metabolism creates from initial food intake is
necessary even when you are doing nothing (breathing, circulating blood,
cell growth, and more).
~ One carbohydrate and protein gram equates to four calories per gram.
Conclusions
After taking a hard look at the results, it is in my opinion that calories are a concept that needs to be introduced as students are entering or in the midst of their 6th
grade year. As students navigate through the ups and downs of puberty, it is critical that they are not only aware of the changes their bodies are going through, but
that they are also aware of the energy their bodies need to consume in order to breathe, circulate blood, and stay active on a daily basis. While the majority of 6th and
7th graders might have had enough experience to determine the answers to the calorie comparison questions, many of them (as shown through the survey) are
unfamiliar with calories and their ability to create much of the energy that your body needs. This is extremely concerning. Due to this lack of knowledge, it is also clear
why members of both the 6th and 7th grade population fail to agree that calories need to be discussed more in society. Finally parents and teachers of middle school
students need to recognize the difference between the discussion of calories and informing kids about how much they should or should not eat. By opening students up
to this simple topic, i believe that they will start to care and become more responsible for their own well-being, leading to fewer health problems in the future.
References
Calorie definition: the energy needed to raise the temperature of one gram
of water through one degree celsius (usually defined as 4.1868 joules).
"Health and Medicine Division." Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids :.
National Academy of Sciences, 5 Sept. 2002. Web. 24 May 2016.
~ One gram of fat equates to nine calories.

~ Calories are not bad, whether they come from unhealthy foods or healthy
foods. Sugar and fat counts determine if a food may be healthy or not.
Mandal, Ananya, MD. "What Is Metabolism?" News-Medical.net. Ed. April Garbutt. News Medical: Life Science & Medicine, 2 Nov. 2013. Web. 24 May 2016.
"How Many Calories in Monster Energy Regular." CalorieKing. CalorieKing Wellness Solutions, Inc., 2016. Web. 24 May 2016.
"7 Must-Know Calorie Facts." @berkeleywellness. Berkeley Wellness, 2016. Web. 24 May 2016.
"How Many Calories in McDonald's French Fries." CalorieKing. CalorieKing Wellness Solutions, Inc., 2016. Web. 24 May 2016.
"Snickers." Snickers. Mars, Incorporated, 2016. Web. 24 May 2016.
"Childhood Obesity Facts." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 27 Aug. 2015. Web. 24 May 2016.
"Calories in Pancakes - Plain." Calories in Pancakes Plain. MyFitnessPal, 2016. Web. 24 May 2016.
"The Importance of Calories!" The Importance of Calories. Food Assets, n.d. Web. 24 May 2016.
"How Many Calories in Apples with Skin, Raw." CalorieKing. CalorieKing Wellness Solutions, Inc., 2016. Web. 24 May 2016.
"Macronutrients: The Importance of Carbohydrate, Protein, and Fat."McKinley Health Center. University of Illinois, 2014. Web. 24 May 2016.

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The Calorie

The Power of Calories

~ the percentage of middle

~ the 7th Graders had a

~ This question also

~ over 75% of all

~ statistic could be flipped

~ possibly the most

~ it is promising that most of

~ 1 joule (unit of work/energy) equals 0.000239006 of a calorie.

~ One gram of fat equates to nine calories.

"Snickers." Snickers. Mars, Incorporated, 2016. Web. 24 May 2016.

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