Group+Eleven

On the first day of Sociology Class, our professor asked us our names, as well as our favorite song. There was a wide array of answers spoken that day. From the time we were little, we can remember a constant but every evolving presence of music in our lives. Too many, music is an escape from reality. Not only does music greatly affect one’s mood, music can greatly shape a person. The cultural ethos of America is wrapped up in music. Music is something that you cannot hide from in this day and age. For our last and final Wiki, we present how not all, but some mainstream Music lyrics have become a cultural and social problem that exists in the United States today.
 * __Introduction__**

The **Symbolic Interactionist Theory** according to Soc by Witt, is a view that states that society is created through the interaction between people. This symbolic interaction perspective shines light on the micro-level scale of communication. Not only does this perspective view interaction and symbols as pivotal forces in society, but also how other people act is determined by what they see, and in this case, hear. Music changes individual mindsets, thus changing individual behavior. These individual behaviors shape our culture. In conclusion, we see that music shapes our culture especially through the youth who listen to it. The lyrics that can often be heard are those artists’ expression coming out, but this expression of art is taking a toll on the cultural youth.
 * __Theory__**

A culture’s music is said to express that cultures views and beliefs. It is music that can be used as a language as well. The songs of the past generations have been replaced with present day lyrics such as, number two on the Billboard 100, Rihana’s hit song that contains lyrics such as “Come here rude boy, boy Can you get it up Come here rude boy, boy You should Is you big enough Take it, take it Baby, baby.“ In America today, everyone holds their music close to their hearts. It is not the essence of music that is becoming the social problem, but the lyrics almost themselves becoming something that the culture should imitate. Economic class is related to music, due to the fact that many assume that the wealthier you are, the more enlightened your musical taste will be. This can be witnessed in such places such as the symphony. This stereotypical ideal set on music contributes to the culture groups conforming to the type of music that they listen to, and the actions that follow. With music relatively being available to anyone and numerous interactions revolving around music happening daily, the Symbolic Interactionist has a heavy task to hinder the problems emerging from music. One cannot simply halt the production and quality of music, but we have hopes that the symbolic meanings of music heard by the youth can be understood at a deeper level and not as intensely imitated in behavior.

In the United States, we are blessed with having ample opportunities and rights. One of these rights is the freedom of speech. People are entitled to their own opinion, and we see this abundantly in the music we listen to today. From love ballads to the blues, from classical music to rap, we see a wide range of opinions formed about different aspects of life. Some people, mainly our youth, are very much influenced by what the pop stars say in their songs. These children then go on to interact with each other, and what they hear in these songs affects who they spend their time with and how they treat others.
 * __LITERATURE REVIEW__**

Freedom of speech has been a highly debated controversy in this country, especially regarding music. Artists can say anything they want in their songs, and this could produce problems. Richardson says in his article “Rap music cannot be considered offensive without putting the artists and their lives in context, this article therefore considers rap music simply a “creative expression” of America’s culture of violence” (Pg 2). The youth in our country may not see these lyrics of the rappers as an expression of their lives, but more of a false reality. The youth listen to these songs and try to implement what the rapper says into their own lives. This could be problematic because some songs talk about drugs and extreme violence. Richardson sums it up as “America as a country is responsible for creating a culture of violence which leads to the creation of rap music, by financially rewarding the “glamorization of socially unacceptable behaviors i.e. violence” (Pg 2). The music is not to blame, Richardson argues, but the country as a whole is. We idolize the artists and try to emulate what they say and do, and this leads to violence within our youth. “With minority children being four times more likely to be a victim of violent crimes, rap is simply an artistic expression of the social inadequacies that are present and perpetuated in poor urban communities” (Pg 8). Richardson is saying that some rappers have a hard lifestyle, so they express their frustrations in songs. The children don’t see it as an expression of self; they see it as a lifestyle that is cool. Rappers are rich and famous, so these kids try to do what the songs say.

Popular music affects all kinds of people in different ways. It also affects the intrapersonal relationships that teenagers develop with one another. During this age, there is an enormous pressure to be socially accepted. Teens do not want to be left out of the “cool” crowd. For some teenagers, music is a way to be socially accepted. As a writer for John’s Hopkins University Press puts it, “Convergence of forces means the children are compelled to learn how to respond to music, in a fashion their peer-group will find acceptable, at increasingly earlier ages” (Riesmen 367). This means that younger children are learning the music they should like for their peers, and this means that they are not thinking for themselves. It doesn’t matter what type of music it was, they liked it because their friends did. When children were asked their musical likes and dislikes Riesmen found, “Respondents generally felt much safer in stating their musical dislikes than their musical likes” (368). Kids felt safer not admitting music they don’t like than alienating themselves from someone by stating the music they do like. Riesmen says “The fear is to be caught liking what the others have decided not to like” (369). It all boils down to acceptance and young children want to be accepted among their peers.

Through our research we have shown that, through freedom of speech, some rap music influences some youth to act out of social norms. Some kids take the music literally and implement what is said in those songs to their own lives. This can be harmful to themselves, their peers, and anyone else that is close to them. Through Riesmen’s research, we found that the majority of children want to be socially accepted by their peers and the music they choose to listen to can greatly affect if they are accepted or not. A symbolic interactionist would say that rap music influences the youth because of the lyrics and videos these kids see. A symbolic interactionist would also say that music is also guiding how kids are acting towards one another because they are afraid of being an outcast.

We believe that music has a great effect on youth, lyrics about sex and violence can and has brought unwanted behaviors into communities within which they would not have occurred without the music. Because parents need help enforcing their rules we believe that more regulation of music is necessary. Certain types of music contain specific lyrics that can be dangerous, creating more strenuous rules as to what can be played on the radio and what can't would be a good way reduce the amount of violence and antisocial behavior that they come into contact with. TheRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) does not have a set standard definition of explicit, there is many discontinuities within the explicit lyrics grading system. It would be very good for the standard be set hard and fast as to what deserves the label and what does not, as well as to incorporate a regulated minimum age for purchasing these labeled works.
 * __RESULTS__**


 * __ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES__**

Riesman, David. "Listening to Popular Music." Johns Hopkins University Press 2.4 359-371. Web. 29 Apr 2010.
 * Bibliographic Information:**


 * Main Questions:**

1. How do teenagers choose the type of music they like?

2. Does the type of music a person likes say anything about who they are?

The article “Listening to Popular Music,” by David Riesman, he talked about how teenagers choose the type of music they want to listen too. It mentioned how music is a major contributor to conformity among teenagers. He also tried to figure more out about the person by what they said about the type they liked. - “By its very nature, popular culture impinges on people unceasingly; it is part of their environment, part of the background noise, color, and verbal imagery of their lives from the age at which they can first listen to the radio, watch television, or “read” comics.” (359) - “One can easily forget that things that strike the sophisticated as trash may open vistas for the unsophisticated; moreover, the very judgment of what is trash may be biased by the one’s own unsuspected limitations, for instance, by one’s class position or academic vested interest.” (360) -“Particularly important to consideration in the field of popular music, where the music industry, with its song pluggers, its jukebox outlets, its radio grip, seems to be able to mold popular taste and to eliminate free choice by consumers.” (361) -The industry itself may like to think it can control matters, even at the price of feeling a good deal of guilt over trashy output or dubious monopolistic practices.” (361) - “There is always a minority channel over which less popular tastes get a hearing, eventually perhaps to become majority tastes.” (361) - “A small minority is, however, not only aware in some fashion of the adult, manipulative pressure but is also resentful of it, in many cases perhaps because its members are unable to fit themselves by any stretch of the imagination into the required images.” (362” - Teenagers, “They form the audience for the larger radio stations, the “name” bands, the star singers, the Hit Parade, and so forth. The functions of music for this group are social—the music gives them something to talk of kid about with friends; an opportunity for competitiveness in judging which tunes will become hits, coupled with a lack of concern about how hits are actually made.” (363-364) - “The minority may use popular music to polarize itself from the majority group, and thereby from American popular culture generally.” (366) - “Convergence of forces means the children are compelled to learn how to respond to music, in a fashion their peer-group will find acceptable, at increasingly earlier ages.” (367) - “Under these pressures, music can hardly help becoming associated with the excitements and the anxieties of interpersonal relationships.” (367) - “One question which sometimes led to illuminating answers was this: “How do you and they (your friends) decides what is a good or bad piece?” One seventeen-year-old-girl, the daughter of a railroad telegrapher, said, “If it’s popular we go for it; if it’s played on Hit Parade.” Her answer to whether her social life would be affected if she hated music was, “That’s all there is to do for kids our age.” Yet the time she craved music most was when she was alone.” (368) - “Respondents generally felt much safer in stating their musical dislikes than their musical likes.” (368) - “The fear is to be caught liking what the others have decided not to like.” (369) The information we have gathered from our article expresses that the way a person might decide on the music they like. Some may choose a to like a song because they want to be popular and are scared to like a song that is not popular. Others like certain types of music due to their culture and where they are from.
 * Main Findings:**
 * How it relates to our Research:**

Johnstone, John, and Elihu Katz. "Youth and Popular Music: A Study in the Sociology of Taste." American Journal of Sociology 62.6 (1957): 563-568. Web. 28 Apr 2010.
 * Bibliographic Information:**


 * Main Questions:**

1. How does music affect the way a person acts?

2. Do friends cause people to listen to certain types of music?

The article “ Youth and Popular Music: A Study in the Sociology of Taste” by John Johnstone and Elihu Katz, is a study that was done to see how girls choose the type of music they enjoyed. They tested two different groups of girls from two different neighborhoods. By doing this they were able to see if where you come from helps determine the type of music a person may listen too. - “John Peatman in 1942 by content analysis differentiated themes in popular song lyrics.2 While they deal continuously with "love," Peatman arrived at three main types: the "happy-in-love" ballad, the "frustrated-in-love" song, and the "novelty song with sex interest.” (Johnstone 563) - “One of the most obvious settings for the enjoyment of popular music by a teen-age girl would be in connection with her social activities, and therefore tastes in popular music were compared with dating.” (563-564)
 * Main Findings:**

- “The original hypothesis of the study sought to relate frequent dating with preferences for the "happy" or "indulgent" love song and rarer dating with preferences for the "blues" or "deprived" songs.” (564)

- “Of all the songs which become popular each year, about three-quarterosf them deal with love.” (565)

- “"heavy" daters, it is clear, overwhelmingly prefer the "sad" songs, while infrequent daters like "happy" songs.” (565)

- “The "blues" songs help the frequent dater to add excitement to her relationships-by suggesting crises, breakups, and the like-and thus, perhaps, helping to end an affairth at might grow too serious; but the infrequent dater can ill afford these emotional adventures.” (565)

- “The frequent dater is more realistic about love, while the infrequent dater, with relatively little experience, dreams about her "blue heaven"; or that the tunes accompanying "sad" songs were better as dance rhythm and more appropriate to romance and thus more useful to the popular girl.” (565)

- “The two neighborhoods, we think, represent two "culture areas," not simply because the relationship between frequency of dating and song preferences is different in them but also because the local preferences as a whole are different” (565)

- “Hyde Park girls are relatively more interested in popular music than are the girls of South Shore, which may be why the relationship between popularity and conformity is so much stronger in that neighborhood.” (566-567)

- “The possibility that the relationship between socioeconomic status and song preferences may be individualist in that rich girls (even in poor neighborhoods) would prefer "happy" songs and poor girls (even in rich neighborhoods) would prefer the "blues." If so, the neighborhood norm would not be a product of group interaction at all, which seems highly improbable.” (567)

- “The other possible explanation is that there is something special about the "blues" that girls in "blue" neighborhoods may lead a more intense adolescent life and move out of the orbit of their families earlier and more drastically.” (567)

- “The meaning of heavy dating in this kind of neighborhood may be quite different from what it is in the "happy" upper-middle-class neighborhood, and it may be that the heavy-dating girls really "use" popular music in ways discussed above.” (567)

- “If neighborhoods and popularity in groups have a role in shaping preferences for popular songs, the more minute details of the mechanisms of group life which breed similar opinions, attitudes, tastes, and habits ought to be examined more carefully with reference to the world of popular music..” (567)

- “Song preferences change much more rapidly than does the general musical taste: the current "Hit Parade" is very seldom the same two weeks in succession.” (568)

- “In many cases popular songs are very much alike, and, without other influences, an individual may really have a hard time in deciding which songs to single out as

favorites.” (568)

- “It is more reasonable to argue that they choose friends because of their general interest in music.” (568)

The information we have gathered from our article expresses that the way a person might decide on the music they like. Some may choose a to like a song because they want to be popular and others might want to like a song because it goes with the way they may be feeling.
 * How it relates to our Research:**

Richardson, Jeanita, and Scott, Kim A.."Rap Music and Its Violent Progeny: America's culture of violence in context." Journal of Negro Education 71, No. 3, (2002): 175-192. Thurs. 29 Apr 2010.
 * Bibliographic Information:**

1. Does rap music perpetuate violence? Or is it simply an artistic expression of its creators? 2. What does rap do for the people that listen to it?
 * Main Questions:**

-Rap music cannot be considered offensive without putting the artists and their lives in context, this article therefore considers rap music simply a “creative expression” of America’s culture of violence. Pg 2 -America as a country is responsible for creating a culture of violence which leads to the creation of rap music, by financially rewarding the “glamorization of socially unacceptable behaviors i.e. violence pg 2 -Rap music is not created solely for profit however; it is more or less an expression of the hopelessness that is felt by the creators of the music caused by the inequality of the slums. Pg 2-3 -Children spend up to 38 hours exposed to media rap is only one small facet of the industry, young people are attracted to it because it either provides a foreign reality or is indeed their reality. Pg 3 -Rap music has become outlawed by parents and frowned upon by leaders, which has actually boosted its popularity. Pg 4 -American youth are more likely to be victimized or be involved than many similar countries. Pg6 -With minority children being four times more likely to be a victim of violent crimes, rap is simply an artistic expression of the social inadequacies that are present and perpetuated in poor urban communities. Pg 8 -Not only rap music contains lyrics of violence and crime, many country and rock songs have socially unacceptable lyrics. Pg9 -This is because this violence sells; the source of this violence in this media is the money that can be made with it. Pg 9 -Rap music started to catch on in 1979, but it was not till mid 1980s when it became popular. Pg9 -Once rap music became popular gangsta rap and more violent types of songs started to be produced, most people who listened to this type of music could not put the renditions of violence in the songs into context. Pg10 -Rap artists have reversed their low capitol worth and have catapulted themselves to the top of the economic food chain, taking many label owners and music producers with them.pg 10 -Many times the people critiquing rap music know little of the lyrics intended meanings, without living a life like that of the rapper’s it is impossible to say the purpose of the song. Pg 11 -Some researchers say that rap music is actually necessary for Americans to see the lives of the urban poor. Pg 12 -Those white artist who try to imitate black ones are more dangerous because they’re songs are not about their real lives, and therefore affect people in different ways. Pg11 -The culture of popular music has created a community from which young black people can create their selfhood and express the heightened violence in some of their communities. Pg 12 -Popular music has come under fire in politics as well; some politicians have attempted bans on radio stations that play hip hop music. Pg 13 -Whereas in the jazz era white people used the blacks to get rich, now in the rap era the African American artists make money for themselves. Pg 15 -It is simply not fair to condemn rap music and its artists without first making an effort to understand the reasons behind the lyrics and the lifestyles. Pg 15 This paper was all about what music causes and what it isn't responsible for. Although this paper sums up the rap community only we can draw a conclusion from it to explain all music and its ability to affect youth. Music does affect young people, some can draw they're identities from it some are influenced to the worse.
 * Main Findings:**
 * How it relates to our Research:**

**INTRODUCTION**

The American Dream is a very prominent dominant ideology resting in both our past and contemporary society. Beginning in the early 1930’s, the dream itself centered around success, fame, prosperity and ultimately wealth. Many were and still presently are lured by this pursuit of wealth and happiness. It was embedded in past society that everyone possessed the opportunity to obtain prosperity. Present day opinions however have changed, the American Dream is recognized as an almost impossible goal. Monetary gain today is coined with the terms success, but more realistically it could be associated with power struggles and conflict. With there not being the same availability to obtain the American dream, many find themselves inferior to the rich, and ultimately end up suffering. Opportunities are not equal throughout society today. In this Wiki we focus on inequality and difference of opportunities offered in striving to reach the American Dream. As seen in our theory, and literature review the terms welfare, and poverty truly are “American as Apple Pie.” The question we are addressing in Wiki 3: ** Is the American Dream equally distributed to all American citizens? **

**THEORY**

The **Social Conflict Theory** according to Soc by Witt, is a view that sees society in constant conflict and struggle over power, resulting in inequality. This conflict perspective shines light on the distribution of resources through power. Not only does this perspective view power as a pivotal force in society, the view takes a look at who benefits from society, and who suffers. Viewing society in terms of who benefits, and who suffers, coincides with status. Status is a term used by sociologists to refer to any of the full range of socially defined positions within a large group or society. (SOC, WITT P91) Inequality is defined as .In everyday Theory The social conflict perspective emphasizes the distribution of power and allocation of resources. It considers how status quo is established and maintained, and who benefits and who suffers from the existing system. It is a materialist view of society, and society is view as an arena of power struggles. The variables social conflicts look at are money (wages, income) and material belongings. The social conflict theorists look at society as made up of the bourgeoisie (the wealthy) and the proletariat (the working class). They say that the bourgeoisie benefit while the proletariat do not benefit.

**LITERATURE REVIEW**

In America there is a glaringly uneven ability to Pursue happiness, that is to achieve the “American Dream.” This is due to many different factors like; economic status, availability of jobs, and families. The social conflict theory looks at this disparity as a power struggle between those with means and availability to these things and those without means to obtain their dreams. Economic status is a primary determinant of being in the bourgeoisie, the wealthy elite, or the proletariat, the working class. “People of similar economic status share neighborhoods, schools, colleges, houses of worship, and places of recreation such as parks or bars” (Jackson 59). This means that different social classes stay in their own groups and try not to venture outside of known norms. Conflict arises from this because people from different classes don’t really interact and when they do, they feel uncomfortable in the unknown situation. In Jackson’s research he says that inequality is both prevalent for the wealthy and the poor. He explains that both sides do not know what it truly feels like to be either poor or wealthy (59). This is because the experiences of both are vastly different from each other so one group can’t really understand what it is like from the other’s point of view. Economic status can sometimes be determined by the availability of jobs. Job availability and income produced is related to a person’s poverty and social status. “During the past 30 years, the U.S. economy has produced increasing numbers of low-paying jobs, part-time jobs, and jobs without benefits” (Rank 162). This means that workers don’t have an actual living wage or lose benefits because they choose the full time job thinking it paid more than a part-time job. “America has the highest poverty rates in the Western industrialized world and most Americans will experience poverty during their lifetimes, this has little to do with individual motivation or attitudes” (Rank 164). This breaks the stereo type of people being lazy or just not wanting to work. “By the time Americans have reached the age of 75, 59% will have spent at least a year below the poverty line during their adulthood, while 68% will have faced at least a year in near poverty” (Rank 159). We see from this information that the majority of the American workforce will experience or nearly experience poverty, showing us that poverty is more prevalent that normally thought. “25% of all American full-time workers could be classified as being in low-wage work” (Rank 163). From this we see that low-wage work cannot support a family We also see a degree of social conflict in families due to economic disparities. “Events triggering these spells of poverty frequently involve the loss or a job and its pay, family changes such as divorce, or both” (Rank 159). These events are caused by families going below and above the poverty line over time. This occurrence puts a strain on the family leading to divorce, or other conflicts in the family. “Research shows that parents’ income, wealth, education, occupation, and residential location all affect one’s eventual place in the economic hierarchy” (Jackson 60). From this quote from Jackson it is very clear that the children of the upper class Americans are much closer to achieving the American dream than are those of the lower class. This fact is also supported by another quote of his, “Findings about the influence of parental status matter enormously, because less privileged children lack the opportunities to excel” (Jackson 60). We can plainly see that children of prominent families will have more opportunities than those of destitute families. Through this research we see that many conflicts arise in economic status, the availability of jobs, and within families. Jackson showed us that the wealthy elite and the poorer working classes stay separated in the parks, bars, and other daily activities that they partake in. In Rank’s research we saw that most jobs in America do not support a family either because of a loss of benefits, simply being low-paying, or being part-time. Then with the family we see the children of the bourgeoisie having a proverbial leg up on the children of the lower working class families.

**METHODS**

In order to find out if the “American Dream” is equally available to all Americans this research group read an array of previously conducted research summaries. To perform our research, first we apply our social theory which is the social conflict theory, to our research we do this by taking special notice in those portions of the research which show the struggle between different social groups. Secondly, our dependent variable for this research is ‘inequality in the availability of the American dream’ so we look then for independent variables that exist in the available research. The socioeconomic class of people could be one; if they are rich the dream is available if they are of lower economic status it is not. The status of people is one as well, either ascribed or acquired statuses can lead to the holder obtaining the American dream, or it can take it out of the question. Because of the likelihood of a relationship existing between status, family, and socioeconomic status we can safely conclude our results will show the opportunity to succeed to be unequal.

**RESULTS**

The American dream is not equally available to all American citizens. After conducting our research this is our conclusion. Our hypothesis was strengthened by the information in the research presented to us. In Rank’s research he says that by age 75 59% of people would have spent a year under the poverty line, and 68% will have been very close. (Rank 159) America does not have enough work to support a family, with percentages like the ones just mention and 3 million Americans working part-time being unable to support a family (rank 162) it is clear that many children are born into and remain in very poor conditions. Jackson points out in his study that Parents have a profound effect on the economic future of their offspring. (pg. 60) Thus creating a pattern, when a person has rich parents he’s likely to be well off himself and the poor are likely to stay that way as well. In his research Jackson brings up the necessity of inequality, if we were all on a level playing field then it would not be possible to create incentives, for those more proficient at given tasks for instance. So to erase inequality would be to rid ourselves of a useful thing. Our theory being the social conflict theory, we look at the power struggles and the allocation of resources to define inequality and its causes. Being a materialist view of society it can be used to understand the status quo of the successful vs. the unsuccessful. According to Jackson People of similar status begin to feel like their status privileges are just and the deficiencies unjust, this then forms their mindset of status when interacting with other people.(61) If they see themselves as deserving then when they see another group perhaps of lesser wealth then themselves there is conflict. Which brings us to Jacksons very next point which is how we think of inequality, he defines it as the systematic distinctions that are tangible such as wealth and power.(59) This definition is what affects other opportunities to the people who possess those systematic distinctions, thus bringing us back to the conflict that is so inseparable from this topic. There are basically groups of people in America of all different classes and statuses they are ranked on an unwritten scale, those at the top posses large amounts of power but those at the bottom possess none whatsoever. It is a fact that some people ranked at the bottom of this invisible scale will never make it to the top, because of conflicts with those other groups above them.


 * ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES **

Rank, Mark R. (2003). “As American as Apple Pie: Poverty and Welfare.” //Contexts.// American Sociological Association 1. 1. Why is poverty so relevant in the United States? 2. 2. What are the causes of the poverty in the United States? The article “As American as apple pie: poverty and welfare”, by Mark R. Rank expresses the findings of poverty rates around the world. It also discusses the different causes of poverty and the amount of low-wage jobs being worked. It also shows the difference between the United States and other countries and how poverty is more prevalent in the United States.
 * Bibliographic Information: **
 * __Main Questions:__ **
 * __Main Findings:__ **

- By the time Americans have reached the age of 75, 59% will have spent at least a year below the poverty line during their adulthood, while 68% will have faced at least a year in near poverty. (Rank 159) - Events triggering these spells of poverty frequently involve the loss or a job and its pay, family changes such as divorce, or both. (Rank 159) - Finland, reduced the percentage of its residents who would have been poor from 33% down to 4%. The United States was only able to reduce its percentage in poverty at any given time from 29% to 18%. U.S. poverty is among the highest in the industrialized world. (Rank 162) - The risk of American poverty across the life course is the failure of the labor market to provide enough jobs that pay well enough. (Rank 162) - During the past 30 years, the U.S. economy has produced increasing numbers of low-paying jobs, part-time jobs, and jobs without benefits. (Rank 162) - A higher percentage of the U.S. workforce falls into this low-wage sector than is true in the comparable developed countries. (Rank 162) - 3 million Americans were working part-time because of a shortage of full-time jobs. As journalist Barbara Ehrenreich and others have shown, these jobs simply do not support a family. (Rank 162) - 25% of all American full-time workers could be classified as being in low-wage work. (Rank 163) - Between 9 and 33% of American household heads were either nonliving-wage jobs or looking for work. (Rank 163) - Late 1990s, between 5 and 9 million more jobs were needed in order to meet the needs of the poor and disadvantaged. (Rank 163) - In a nation of 50 million employees, 15 million men are unemployed. (Rank 164) - America has the highest poverty rates in the Western industrialized world and that most Americans will experience poverty during their lifetimes has little to do with individual motivation or attitudes. (Rank 164) - The labor market fails to produce enough decent paying jobs, and social policies that are unable to pull individuals and families out of poverty when unforeseen events occur. (Rank 164)

The information we have gathered from our article expresses that the American dream is not realistically attainable shown though the amount of poverty in the United States. As by expressing how the labor market does not provide enough jobs that are able to help families get out of poverty.
 * __How it relates to our Research:__ **

Jackson, Robert Max. (2007). “Keyword: Inequalities” Contexts. American Sociological Association
 * Bibliographic Information: **

1. What are the implications of the types of inequality? 2. What is so important about Inequality? Robert Max Jackson wrote about inequality In America, he wrote about the many different types of inequality. Also he discussed why it is so important to America, not so much that it is necessary, but simply what a huge effect it has on everything.
 * __Main Questions__ ** __:__
 * __Main Findings:__ **

-The twin concepts of inequality and equality have continuously informed social thought. Pg 59 -Only a society that harbors inequality will generate the idea of equality; others do not need it. Pg 59 -The modern idea of inequality stems from the 17th and 18th centuries, using these enlightenment ideas --People could blame they’re place in life on institutions and groups instead of God’s will this movement inspired social sciences. Pg 59 -People of similar status come to believe their status privileges are just and their status deficiencies unjust; they acquire a perceptual map of status differences that guides their dealings with others. Pg 59 -Inequality refers to systematic distinctions that we can rank and which concern valued qualities like wealth and security. Pg 59 -The degree of status inequality between people reflects the differences in opportunities available to groups to which they belong. Pg 59 -Removing the implicit and explicit status barriers to positions in economic and political hierarchies is therefore the main way that status groups today fight the status inequalities that disadvantage them. Pg 60 -Research from the 1950s to the 1980s found that modern societies were surprisingly meritocratic, with parents’ status accounting for less than 20% of their status. Later research lends to the idea that it is twice as important as that study says. Pg 60 -According to Davis and Moore Inequality is necessary because higher rewards are necessary to attract higher trained individuals. Pg 61 -The many forms of inequality are hard to summarize. It is commonly forgotten how important it is though. It affects everything. Pg 61 Our research is based on the social conflict perspective which takes its roots in the conflicts between social groups and their resources. This paper discusses social inequality; specifically, it outlines the difference in the rights, opportunities, and treatment of different people according to their status. According to this paper, inequality pervades every moment of our lives; we are constantly battling inequality because of our social status. By comparing this work to our research we can see how clearly distinguished the lines between socio economic groups are, and the fact they are in conflict with each other.
 * __How it Relates to our Research:__ **


 * INTRODUCTION **

Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCS) are institutions aimed at providing women- help, counsel, or alternative choices to a


 * INTRODUCTION **

abortion. Crisis Pregnancy Centers shine light on the option of adoption and will often try to persuade women to embrace this choice for their unborn child. Most cliental consists of women who feel as if they are in some form of a crisis, regardless if their pregnancy was expected or unexpected. Crisis Pregnancy Centers are usually non-profit, volunteer operated institutions with limited hours. CPCS are usually free for clients, and religiously related. Supplying free pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, and baby supplies, are typical trends for most CPCS. CPCS are an important institution in society today, especially when the United States has an alarming escalating unintended pregnancy rate. The research question we are addressing is: **What Are the Best Practices for Crisis Pregnancy Centers Located in Rural Towns?** Research for this Wiki involved reading two articles relating to CPCS, an article on how to conduct the best research practices, and an analytical review of interviews conducted by Sociology students with a worker from a rural CPC. Our Wiki begins by introducing our **Symbolic Interactionist Theory**. After laying out our Symbolic Interactionist Perspective, we next have written a literature review in which we have presented a flowing summary of facts on CPCS, collected from analyzing the previously mentioned articles. The Methods section follows the Literature Review with details on how we gathered our data. After listing the means of obtaining the data, we next have analyzed it and presented the best practices for CPCS.

**THEORY**

The ** Symbolic Interactionist Theoretical Perspective **  is one that views society in forms of smaller groups, involving interaction between people. This is an example of Micro-sociology. Through the eyes of a Symbolic Interactionist, our group sees society as these small interactions that take place between individuals to be highly important, such as familial life. From that interaction, individuals place specific meanings, and definitions to certain things within the wider society. According to the SOC textbook, the Interactionist perspective is the belief that within society there are important forms of social interaction that overall explain a society. (WITT P.14) Through the process of socialization, people’s personalities are shaped. The personality consists of factors such as values, and attitudes. A person's socialization occurs first and foremost in the family. ( Class Notes-March 09) Values play an important role in deciding what these women will do with their pregnancy. If the values and appreciation for life are deeply rooted within a client, their choice is most likely going to be to proceed with the pregnancy. As we stated previously, the family is one example of small interaction that is very important in many cultures. The family has been viewed as “ a unity of inter-acting personalities.” (Burgess 1926) What kind of families do these clients who seek help from Crisis Pregnancy Centers generally come from? Crisis Pregnancy Centers obviously place the meaning of life to be very important and sacred. Not only do peers and family influence the interpretation of the symbol of life, but other outlets, such as the media, do as well. Adoption and a different perceived meaning about the definition of life, is sometimes not previously made known to these clients. Through instilling a new set of values within their clients, CPCS can achieve the understanding of life. Whether the pregnancy results in adoption, or abortion, the definition of what a life is to that pregnant woman is ultimately the vital decision point. Finally, these Crisis Pregnancy Centers possess the power to form intimate interactions. These women in crisis, look to the workers at CPCS for counsel, support, or just a listening heart. Through the persuasion, discussion, and interaction between these clients and workers at these Crisis Pregnancy Centers, ultimately a decision is reached.

**LITERATURE REVIEW**

Pregnancy crisis centers have been around for close to thirty years. They used to exist as only an alternative to abortion, but now they provide counseling, food, assistance with welfare paper work, information on child rearing, baby essentials, and a place to stay. They have expanded what they offer and have become more popular throughout the years. Women can come to these centers when they are unable to support their soon to be born child. These centers are also great place for women that are distressed and have no place to go for support. The volunteers at CPC’s are trained to provide expecting mothers with support and guidance that they need in their life at this time. According to “PRO-LIFE DILEMA: Pregnancy Center and the Welfare Trap” by Mathewes-Green, Frederica, “after an unintended birth occurs the mother is left with almost nothing.” (3) Therefore the mother must rely on welfare, food stamps, and government housing. Pat Evens, director of a CPC in Maryland called Birthright, explains that the mother is put on a list for public housing and receives about two hundred dollars a month in welfare. It is unfortunate that it must be this way, because a single mother cannot afford the time to work or the money for day care. Since the child usually is brought up in these poor circumstances it makes it more difficult for them to achieve in academics and to stay out of trouble. Staley K Henshaw also stated that “the overall pregnancy rate declined with increasing income, and this trend resulted mainly from the hirer rate of unintended pregnancy among young women.” CPC’s such as Birthright offers expecting mothers different opportunities to seek help, such as adoption and other options to create a better future for her and her family. According to a study done in 1995, by the Family Research Council, “29% said the mother should give the baby up for adoption and 8% should have an abortion.” (14) The goal of the CPC’s is to increase the amount of the adoptions by making it more attainable and to create more stability in single parent homes. CPC’s are positive environments that will not pressure an expecting mother to do what they think is right but inform them on the different option they have to choose from. According to “PRO-LIFE DILEMA: Pregnancy Center and the Welfare Trap” by Mathewes-Green, Frederica, “in 1991 forty-six percent of pregnancy of unwedded mothers ended in abortion.” (15) When CPC’s saw this statistic they strived to inform and educate the expecting mothers to decrease this issue by counseling them. CPC’s try to help expecting mothers by not only counseling but also being a solid support system. The useful methods included are inclusion of the mother’s parents, not pressuring them to make a decision right at that moment, and providing them with gifts for their child. “In 1994, the abortion rate declined 24% while the rate of unplanned birth did not decrease at all and my have even increase slightly.” (11) Therefore, we can see that the CPC’s have been successful in helping reduce the number of abortions. It is well known that unplanned pregnancies are prevalent in the United States; Up to one half of all pregnancies are unintended in fact. Abortion rates have gradually risen since its legalization with out a major alternative, until the popularization of CPC that is. Now women have a free place to go for help and safety. With special counseling methods, the abortion rates have been decreasing due to their efforts to provide adoption and other methods as better, and safer options.


 * METHODS **

To conduct the best and Current Practice Research, our group, as well as our classmates in Intro To Sociology, called individual Crisis Pregnancy Centers located in rural towns. The Crisis Pregnancy Center that we called is located in Coffeyville, KS (Pop. 11,000.) After reading the article written by Ophelia Eglene, “Conducting Best and Current Practices Research”, we were introduced how to properly conduct this research on Crisis Pregnancy Centers. Each group was given the same set of questions. Step one of conducting this research involves formulating the question at hand, which in our case is “ What are the Best Practices for Crisis Pregnancy Centers?” The second step is to research other sources that relate to the topic. The other sources we used were the three articles that were given to us before we even had conducted the phone interviews. Lastly, the third step involves interviewing selected people in- depth. (In our case, Roberta Hoy from the Coffeyville Crisis Pregnancy Center.) After completing the interviews, we analyzed each interview while looking for variables that would contribute to our overall conclusion on what are the best practices for these centers. We concluded that some important variables to be aware of while analyzing the interviews, were: family, peers,the media, and education, which directly assign meaning and importance to things in life through interaction. The most fundamental variable that we are looking for within these interviews are values. Values are directly affected through these socializing agents .

**RESULTS**

CPCS, as well as any institutions, will forever be constant in trying to get their organization to reach the ultimate harmonic success. There will always exist something for CPCS to learn from and then hopefully improve and implement within their own organization. (Eglene 2000)

Our main objective throughout our entire research project was to discover the best practices for CPCS in rural towns through the eyes of the Symbolic Interactionist Perspective. The practices that we came to reach, are ones that stemmed from the analysis of our everyday experiences, interactions, and perceptions. ( WITT 12, 13) Further expanding on this micro sociological study of the best practices, we also kept in mind how everyday experiences can be compared to that of the theater, and how image is maintained, this also being referred to as the dramaturgical approach. (WITT 13)

Ten out of eleven of the interviews revealed that the word of mouth was the most effective practice of communicating CPC’S services to the community and other future clients. This process of networking out into the community, is a form of interaction in itself. It is through this networking, that other members of a community can grasp the meaning and work of CPC’S. By understanding what the client’s experiences at the CPC were, the community will make their own decisions about CPCS based on individual perspectives. This being said, CPCS have an important task at hand. CPCS must make sure the women who come into their doors are treated with respect and non—judgmental views, thus encouraging other clients to come there for help.

One finding from research revealed, that two good practices for CPCS to follow includes: letting the client know that she deserves the best, and letting her know that the choice is not about politics, but the person and sanctity of life. ( INTERVIEWS 7, 8) Based on the prior research, CPCS try to instill values into their clients while listening, not just with their ears, but hearts as well. (INTERVIEW 4-2009) This work of instilling values into clients can be a very hard job because clients often come into the CPCS with skewed views resulting from the media like “if it feels good, do it.” Along with this hedonist view of sex and society, girls today are lacking self-esteem and the power to say “no” to peer pressure. ( INTERVIEW 6) With education on abstinence programs barely existing within schools, CPCS engage in practices that try to preach the importance of commitments, proving to be effective. ( INTERVIEW 4) A good practice for CPCS to invest in is to send more videos and pamphlets promoting abstinence to local high schools. (INTERVIEW 4) Research of the interviews proves that the media is seen to be a major socialization agent that sees little value in the sacredness of marriage, as well as taking a more secular view on parenting and pregnancy as a whole. (INTERVIEWS 1-5, 7-11) Findings have concluded that a strong emphasis on the familial life in society is lacking. To overcome this obstacle, CPCS, show their clients that the meaning of a family is truly a blessing. By providing ultrasounds, the client can sometimes be moved by the image on the screen, resulting in a decision to offer the baby up for adoption.

Thus far, we have concluded that the best practices for CPCS to follow include: reinforcing their clients perspective and meaning of the women’s identity through care, love, and non judgmental views, the promotion of abstinence programs within the education systems, and finally instilling lifetime Christ-like values. In following these practices, CPCS may achieve their clients respect and dignity for the sanctity of life.

** A ** ** nn **** otated Bibliographies **

ARTICLE ONE Eglene, Ophelia. "Conducting Best and Current Practices Research : A Starter Kit." 2003. Center for Technology in Government, Web. 28 Feb 2010 1. What are the most recent practices and routines for conducting research when observing another agencies successes or failures? 1. This article presented by Ophelia Eglene was a brief overview on how to conduct best and current practices to simply “help organizations learn from the experience of others”. (P 1) Researching this way is not only cheaper but also less time consuming. “ Current and Best Research practices is usually inexpensive and a good investment of your time.” (P 1)The Center for Technology in Government lays out steps to conduct this research style correctly in these steps: · “Step 1. Formulate the Question- Scope out your topic. Think of issues typically associated with your particular topic. Specify things that are NOT part of your research goals. You will then gain a more comprehensive picture of the issue that has some reasonable limits”. (P. 2) · Step 2. Gather Preliminary Information “Take a few minutes to think of people you know who may have information about the questions you are researching. Think of the conferences you've attended, recent contacts you've made, the people in your personal e-mail address book, etc. Send e-mail messages or call the people you think may know something themselves or may be able to direct you to someone else who does.”(P.2) Step 3. Interviewing Selected People In depth Here the CTG asserts that if you are to be a researcher your must not only research well, but also have good interviewing and personable skills. “Often, people assigned to conduct current and best practices research delay interviews as they often feel they need to know the topic thoroughly before they can talk to someone about it.” (P. 3) If your are a researcher on a team taking part in the current and best practices research, according to the CTG, you should keep these things in mind: Comfortableness when interviewing, Accuracy in describing a project or design, being concise and direct with questions. (P.4) While researching with direction and sharpness in accuracy, one may come to have “ a standard method for documenting the interview results.” (P. 4) When researching on the Internet, the wide array of search engines and databases can at times seem endless. This variation of databases can present the researcher with a problem-inaccurate research and data. The CTG in this article presents us with not just the addresses of Google (P. 4), and Yahoo (P.4) sites that have been useful: Northern Light is both a free search engine and a fee database. In addition to searching the Web, it offers access to its special collection of more than 4,500 full text articles online for a minimum fee (usually $1). (P. 4) Alta Vista provides good returns due to its intricate searching capabilities and large database. It is efficient for complex or specific searches.(P.4) The previous sites listed were examples of individual search engines that can be very useful as seen. But the CTG presents another type of search engine that targets all of the information which is available on a particular subject. “MetaSearch engines can provide more extensive coverage by searching simultaneously in several of the largest search engines' databases. (P.4 ) Here are some examples provided: Dogpile: http://www.dogpile.com (P.4) Profusion: http://www.profusion.com (P.4) Ask Jeeves: http://www.askjeeves.com ( P. 4)
 * Bibliographic Information: **
 * __Main Questions:__ **
 * __Main Findings:__ **
 * Northern Light: http://www.northernlight.com **
 * Alta Vista: http://www.altavista.com **

This article relates to our research, because we ourselves have just taken part in this best and current practice research. Through interviewing directly with a worker from a Crisis Pregnancy Center, the primary research was a helpful tool in analyzing data. This article helps us conduct the best research properly and accurately. The article suggests that an important thing to keep in mind when researching is to present a format for your research. This helps we, the researchers, to be more organized and cohesive as a group. When researching the question-What are the Best Practices for Crisis Pregnancy Centers located in Rural Towns-our group first needed to reed some preliminary information on the subject. After doing so, our group was able to understand and have an idea on these centers and the rates of unintended pregnancy. Learning from other center's mistakes and achievements, shapes a CPC, providing the knowledge to know how to make the themselves even more successful.
 * __How it Relates to our Research:__ **

**ARTICLE TWO**

Henshaw, Stanley. "RATES OF UNINTENDED PREGNANCY." //Family Planning Perspectives//. 30.1 (1998): Print.
 * Bibliographic Information: **

1. Why have the rates of Unintended Pregnancy declined? 2. What Changes occurred from 1987 to 1994 regarding Unintended pregnancies? 3. What are some effects of changes in unintended pregnancy rates of abortion and unplanned birth?
 * __Main Questions__ ** __:__

This article address why the rate of unintended pregnancies has declined from 1987 to 1994. It also, to answer those questions, asks what has changed between 1987 and 1994 regarding the unintended pregnancies. Then it shows some of the effects of changes in unintended pregnancy rates of abortion and unplanned births in the same time frame.
 * __Main Findings:__ **

The unintended pregnancies dropped 16% from 1987 to 1994.(Henshaw 7) But the amount of abortions for unintended pregnancies rose from 50% to 54%.(Henshaw 7) For teenagers the drop in unintended pregnancies led to the abortions falling by 24%. (Henshaw 8) With married woman the number of abortions increased from 28% to 37%.(Henshaw 8) 14%of women can expect to have had an abortion before age 20, 37% by age 30 and 43% by age 45.(Henshaw 10) Half of all pregnancies in the United states are unintended.(Henshaw 10) The group of women who are most prone to unintended pregnancies are unmarried and low income women that aren’t capable of taking care of a child. An explanation for the decrease in unintended pregnancies could be the widespread use of contraception. Among unmarried women 60% to 65% of unplanned pregnancies end in abortion.(Henshaw 11) Although teenagers stood out, women ages 15-19, the number of abortions decreased from 53% to 45%. (Henshaw 11) One explanation for this is the restrictions at abortion clinics that parents must be involved or the spread of antiabortion messages.(Henshaw 11) The conclusion of the article to reduce unintended pregnancies is to decrease risky behavior, promote use of effective contraceptive methods and improve effectiveness with which all methods are used. (Henshaw 11)

**How it Relates to our Research:**

The fact that unintended pregnancies dropped possibly because of the widespread use of contraception in different forms, shows that people are seeing meaning in not having children with contraception. A big statistic is that married women actually increased in the percentage of abortions to end unwanted pregnancies. This could be because of the increased household dependence on their income to support the family. This relates to Symbolic Interactionist perspective in a sense, because the meanings we use to assign women have changed. Also the group with the highest percentage of abortions, 60%-65%, is unmarried women. This may be caused by the association that a child should be born into a family environment stemming from society's perceived meaning of the symbol of a family. Oddly, this is one fact that CPCS try to instill, the importance of familial life. Women aged between 15-19 had the highest decrease of abortions which could partly be due to the stigma placed on abortion by antiabortion messages. One of the concluding points in the article was the idea to reduce risky behavior. This goes hand in hand on how morals can affect one's choice in termination or birth of the baby.

**ARTICLE THREE**

Mathewes-Green, Frederica. "PRO-LIFE DILEMA: Pregnancy Centers and the Welfare Trap." //Policy Review// (1996): n. pag. Web. 24 Feb 2010 1.What happens to the mother and child after the unintended pregnancy results in a birth? 2.What do CPCS, as in Birthright, have to offer to their clients? 3. How can CPCS extend the vision of adoption to their clients and society as a whole? The story begins with a pregnant woman deciding to go to the Hope Pregnancy Center to receive help for her and her unborn child. Six months later her son is born, and her time at the Hope Pregnancy Center is over. (¶ 3) She is left with almost nothing. According to Pat Evans, the director of Birthright, a pregnancy center in Maryland, the single mother is put on a list for public housing, she gets about 225$ per month in welfare, and probably receives food stamps. Evans says that Birthright assists about 1200 women per year, and he has seen less than half a dozen find work. (¶ 5) For many of the good crisis centers, about 80-90 percent of the women establish single-parent households. Many of these women rely on government welfare because they cannot find full time work. Some women fall into poverty and even homelessness. The child is more likely to grow up with lower academic achievement and susceptibility to crime. (¶ 9) It is near impossible for the crisis centers to do much to help the women after they leave. Evans points out that the volunteers at the crisis centers do all they can to help by counseling, giving supplies, and even taking women into their homes. (¶ 10)Girls who grow up without a father are more than twice as likely to have a child out of wedlock later in life. (¶ 11) The focus of crisis centers used to be only on saving unborn children, but now it has evolved into helping the mothers so she can support her own child. (¶ 12) A poll conducted by the Family Research Council was done in 1995 to see what people thought about women having a child out of wedlock should do. 29% said the mother should give the baby up for adoption, 24% said the mother should marry the father, 11% said she should raise the baby alone, and only 8% said she should have an abortion. (¶ 14) In 1991 however, 46% of pregnancies of unwed mothers ended in abortion, 44% had the child, and the difference was made up by miscarriages. Of the births to unwed mothers, only 2% were given up for adoption. (¶ 15)June Ring, the coordinator of adoption resources for Presbyterians Pro-Life, is trying to create a counseling plan for mothers to help them figure out the be st plan for them, and to show that adoption is a good solution. Ring said “ One study found that in 40 percent of counseling situations, adoption was not even mentioned to the client as an option, even though the majority of counselors felt favorably toward adoption." (¶ 17)Another study said “According to the National Council for Adoption, a 1991 study found that pregnant, unmarried teens who were counseled in a program that mentioned adoption to every client were seven times more likely to choose it. When the teen's parents were involved in counseling, they were six times more likely to choose adoption. Teens asked to compare adoption with single parenting were also six times more likely to choose adoption.” (¶ 18)visitors, so they do not receive the counseling they need about their possible options. (¶ 21) When counselors have a two option outlook, abortion or birth, they can persuade the woman to keep the baby by connecting with her maternal instinct by giving her baby items or gifts. (¶ 22)At the LIGHT House Maternity home in Kansas City, MO, 10% of the clients chose adoption. The reason that this number is so high is because the counselors don’t push a decision on the mothers, but they do help them make informed decisions. (¶ 27) They do want to stray away from abortion as an option, and they try to inform the mothers about the benefits of adoption. (¶ 29) The LIGHT House also offers a 20 week adoption class. This class informs the mother on what to expect physically, emotionally, and even legal issues. (¶ 30)Pregnancy centers have come a long way since their establishment. They can always do more to encourage the mothers to consider adoption if that option is a good fit. (¶ 33)
 * Bibliographic Information: **
 * __Main Questions__ ** __:__
 * __Main Findings:__ **

**How it Relates to our Research:**

This article relates to our topic because it focuses on pregnant women interacting with crisis centers. The centers could be more effective if they could communicate with the pregnant women about the different choices and options they have. If the women have more information about what they can do, then it would be more likely that they make good, informed decisions. As long as the crisis centers have more of an outreaching towards pregnant women seeking help, the outcomes of the women and the newborn children would be better. = =

** STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALIST THEORY- OBESITY IN ATCHISON, __KANSAS__ ** Our theory is based on the Structural Functionalist view, which emphasizes that parts of the society are structured to maintain its stability as a whole. Through viewing society this way, structural functionalists see society as connected networks. Our theory in correlation to obesity in Atchison, Kansas through a Structural Functionalist view is as follows: The Institution of the ** Food Industry as well as the Education system ** is contributing to the growing obesity epidemic. Increasing the availability of healthier foods will contribute to the decrease of obesity. By increasing the availability of these healthier foods, we must first decrease the price of them. By not educating the children of Atchison through the institution of education, the children of Atchison may fall into this epidemic and enter into the social system unprepared for the epidemic of obesity not fully realizing the consequences. Informing the Atchison community about the costs and repercussions of living an obese lifestyle through a government program will subsequently lower the obesity rate.


 * Manifest Functions of the Food Industry ** : (Intended consequences)- To feed people in general as well as to make profit
 * Latent Functions ** (unintended, positive neutral outcomes)- To gain profit
 * Dysfunctions ** (Negative, unintended outcomes)- Obesity within the public


 * Manifest Functions of the Education System ** - To educate youth in society, (feeding the students)
 * Latent Functions- ** None
 * Dysfunction: ** Obesity in Children

**Literature Review:** Obesity is a major problem in America today; it affects people of every status, sex, and race. Society has changed drastically through the years; an enormous amount of data has been gathered on obesity and its causes since the 70’s. It has no good qualities whatsoever according the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, “one-third of adults are obese, as well as 16% of children." Obese children are beginning to show signs of obesity-related diseases as well as type 2 diabetes, and other cardiovascular diseases. (pg.2 CDC) Something must be done to halt this epidemic, the effects not only endanger a multitude of people but also our pocket books, the Center for Disease control estimates that $117 billion dollars have been added to the health care budget simply for over-weight related illness. The trend from 1971-2004 was that all racial/ethnic groups have increased by double from 15.5% in 1971-1974 to 33.6% in 2003-2004 (Wang and Beydoun and Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention). Fortunately studies have also been conducted on the origins of the problem, America has made great strides in technology, we often focus on making our lives easier but is this at a cost? According to some studies it is costing us our lives. The modern day busy schedule often involves a meal to go or snacking, which in the study “Obesity: Halting the Epidemic by Making Healthy Eating Easier” explains a significant amount of caloric intake (up to 90% actually) in modern day society. With Americans living minute-by-minute lives, fast-food restaurants become not only quick, but cheap ways to eat. With America suffering from a weak economy, unhealthy food is a preferred to choice to fruit and vegetables. One suggestion to fix this is lowering the fruit and vegetable price by 10% so low-income people may increase daily intake of healthier choices. (Kettle Khan, 8) Another study, “Recommended Community Strategies and Measures to Prevent Obesity in the United States. 2009. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report,” we see that it is mandatory we begin teaching the rights and wrong of a healthy lifestyle at a young age. Giving smaller portions teaches better portion control, physical exercising to facilitate overall health, and providing more healthy foods are all recommended in the research to reduce the incredible percentage of obese and unhealthy children in America. All in all, reducing the amount of deaths, the cost, and the prevalence of obesity and its related illnesses, can be accomplished. The halt of this epidemic can become a reality with a well thought out plan that considers the economic causes and repercussions (cost of food and health care costs), what types of people are involved and how they are affected differently, and ways to provide healthy eating options that make sense to the public. The whole society, including all the parts, must be taken into consideration.

** METHODS **

Our ** Hypothesis ** is that if the Education System implemented a program that would educate youth about obesity in other ways than the food pyramid, while incorporating healthy food choices in the food system, then the likelihood of children becoming obese will decrease. In our study we would take a different approach than simply just showing the children the food pyramid. Within our study we first need to see the current methods being taught within the Atchison education system about obesity. We would teach the children to not just simply be afraid of obesity and getting “fat.” Using the institution of education we would show them the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle. Example-Bringing in a healthy person who can discuss the benefits that he or she has experienced living a lifestyle. More energy, better concentration can be factors in living a healthier lifestyle. Furthermore, in our study we would research the food program that is implemented in the school system. One way to reduce the caloric intake in school cafeterias is too limit their portion size. By limiting the portion size, along with switching off days from fruits and vegetables to higher calorie snacks, shows the children at a young age how to eat and start thinking strategically in the area of their health. Independent Variable 1 =Information we give them Dependent Variable 1= Caloric Intake, What the Children Eat Independent Variable 2= School that was chosen Dependent Variable 2-=the menu the food provides

If Atchison were to receive better food suppliers, the community of Atchison would have better options in living a healthier lifestyle. Providing the community with organic and more vegetarian options will contribute to health and well-being of the individual in the society. Independent= which part of town Dependent= what is available
 * Hypothesis 2 ** - If the Atchison community provides better heath choices such as an organic grocery store or more fruit and vegetable markets, the community of Atchison will not become a victim to Obesity.


 * Bibliographic Information: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2009. Obesity: Halting the Epidemic by Making Healthy Eating Easier. **


 * __Intro:__ ** The National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion released a four-page document on obesity. The article is a “glance” into not only the health risks that stem from obesity but some ideas and reform for policy initiatives including education on obesity.


 * __Main Question:__ ** This article answers the questions that people know about obesity already. It addresses the health issues such as hypertension, cardiovascular problems, and diabetes. The CDC is trying to halt this disease and uses statistics and findings throughout their studies.

Obesity, like any other health issue, affects not only the health of the obese person, but the economy and the sociological aspects within a society. In over thirty years, obesity has climbed the charts. One-third of adults are obese, as well as 16% of children. (p.2 CDC) Obese children are beginning to show signs of obesity-related diseases as well as type 2 diabetes, and other cardiovascular diseases. Studies have shown that obesity rates in children who live in Atlanta have been steadily declining. (p. 3 CDC) $117 billion has been put into the costs of covering obesity-related care. Along with staggering costs for the healthcare of obese men and women, the United States is becoming more and more of a “biogenic” society day by day. (p.2 CDC) With many Americans becoming less active and indulging in the many unhealthy food choices, America must take action involving policy and environmental changes. With the unstable economy, many Americans can only afford cheap food, which is mostly unhealthy. · The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has currently 23 states participating in their Nutrition and Physical Activity and Obesity Cooperative Agreement Program. (p. 3 CDC) Through this program, healthy consumption of fruits and vegetables are encouraged as well as an increase in physical activity. The CDC educates people about obesity through national conferences. The CDC is in the midst of preparing the National Roadmap for Obesity Prevention and Control. This conference is expected to be ready in 2010. (p.3) · ·Within the media there has been a vital increase of an awareness of obesity, this can be seen through the amount of articles related to this disease. One stat that the CDC showed was from 2000-2007 obesity covered articles increased from 8,000 to 28,000. (p. 3) · Through a convergence partnership, the CDC collaborates with others not directly associated with public health. The CP is directly concerned with improvement of transportation and food systems (p.3) · Priority is placed on targeting low-income communities and the plan to educate children on healthier eating habits as well as ways to get active (p.4)
 * __Main Findings:__ **

**__How it relates to our to our topic:__** The research question that we our addressing is how we can address the growing rate of obesity in Atchison, Kansas. The Center of Disease Control and Prevention’s four page document relates to our research because it shows us how we must use the institution of education to further teach children, especially those in lower income families, on eating healthier.

** Bibliographic Information ** Beydoun, May A., and Youfa Wang. “The Obesity Epidemic in the United States—Gender, Age, Socioeconomic, Racial/Ethnic, and Geographic Characteristics: A Systematic Review and Meta-Regression Analysis.” //Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.// (2007): 1-23.

The authors explain the obesity epidemic in the United States as pertained to gender, age, socioeconomic status, race and ethnic groups, and geographic characteristics. The authors examined over 900 articles pertaining to obesity, but they narrowed their findings down to 20 articles for their quantitative meta-analysis. Their main data came from the NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys), the BRFSS (Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System), the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, and the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health. The articles used were from 1990-2006.
 * Main Question of the article **

**Main Findings:** - According to this data, of men and women 20 and older were two-thirds were overweight to obese, with 32.42% obesity and 4.8% extreme obesity. (NHANES) - Prevalence increased with age with 60 years and older citizens being more than 70% overweight to obese. (NHANES) Trends: -From 1971- 2001 men increased obesity rates 3.6 percentage points, while women little more than 2.8%. (NHANES) - Non Hispanic Blacks had the highest prevalence of obesity. - Overall minorities were on average 10 percentage points higher than the white community. - Asians had the lowest incidence of obesity of all Ethnicities with 5% as opposed to the average 30 %.( BRFSS pg.3) Trends: -Men and women of all cultures increased at the same average rate, but the ethnicities advanced at a faster rate. (NHANES pg. 4) - SES and obesity do seem to be related only within each ethnicity individual ethnicities cannot explain it. This is because of the different culture body image etc. for each group. (Ogden CL, Curtain LR, et al. JAMA - Wang Y Zhang Q. - Robert SA, Reither EN pg. 6) - There may be a bidirectional causal relationship causal relationship between SES and obesity, as obesity may have an effect on a person’s opportunity for education and life quality. (Gortmaker SL, Must A, Perrin JM et al. pg.6) - The higher amount of education obtained the less obesity occurred, except in the case of Black women. (NHANES 1999-2000 pg. 6) Trends: - Since the 70’s obesity has increased throughout all SES of men and women. (Zhang Q, Wang Y. pg6) - Black men increased in low SES 88-94 and 1999-2002 studies. (Zhang Q, Wang Y. pg.6) - Black women increased faster in obesity rates throughout the high and medium SES than in the low. (Zhang Q, Wang Y. pg.7) - States in Southeastern have higher prevalence rates than the West Coast or Midwest or Northeast. (BRFSS pg.7) - Colorado, Hawaii, Vermont, and Connecticut all had less than 20% obesity in 2005. (BRFSS pg.7) - Louisiana, Mississippi, and West Virginia had obesity rates of 30% or higher in 2005. (BRFSS pg.7) - 17 states were higher than 25% in 2005. (BRFSS pg.7) Trends :( Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Curtain LR, et al. CDC) - Until 1995 the Western and North East had a lower prevalence of obesity than others- 10-14% as opposed to 15-19%. - Throughout the years more and more states have raised their percentage points until in 2000 only 28 states were less than 20%. - The highest prevalence was among Black women at 70.4%. (NHANES pg. 9) - The lowest was among Mexican- American men at 35.5%. (NHANES pg. 9) Trends: - From 1960- 2000 central obesity and waist circumference increased steadily, waist circumference increased by 10 cm. in men and 17 cm. in women. - Between 1988-1994 and 1999-2000 central obesity was raised 10 points; the highest rate of increase was among women aged 20-29 years. (Ford ES, Mokdad AH, Giles WH. pg. 9) In 2003-2004, more than one-third, about 35%, of US children and adolescents, ages 6-19, were at risk for being overweight or were already overweight. For children aged 2-6, about 26% were at risk for being overweight or already overweight (Wang and Beydoun and Hedley). Trends--The prevalence of overweight in all age groups has increased since the 1960s. Since 1971, US children and adolescents’ BMI (Body Mass Index) increased 1.4 and 2 points respectively (Wang and Beydoun and Y. Wang). Central Obesity—The authors illustrate that little is known about the status of central obesity in US children and adolescents. But NHANES III showed that Mexican-American boys and non-Hispanic Black girls 18 years of age had the highest waist circumference values in the 90th percentile (Wang and Beydoun and Fernandez). Our theory involves the public and their ability to find and afford Healthy food options, it would be nonsensical to undertake social change without first understanding how obesity affects Social economic statuses, race and age. This research provides us with a multitude of information on these topics. By taking into account the age, race, geographical, and status of the Atchison people our plan to help them be healthier will be much more effective.
 * US Adults **
 * Racial/Ethnic Disparities **
 * SES Disparities **
 * Geographic and Urban Rural Differences **
 * Central Obesity **
 * - ** According to NHANES data the prevalence was 38.3% among men and 59.9 % among women. (NHANES pg. 9)
 * US Children and Adolescents **
 * Racial/ethnic disparities ** —There is considerable difference of obesity rates between different ethnic groups. Non-Hispanic White children had the lowest prevalence at 28.2%, followed by non-Hispanic Black children at 35.4%, then Mexican American children at 39.9% (Wang and Beydoun and Hedley). Asian American children had lower prevalence than the national average (Wang and Beydoun and Gordon-Larsen). The prevalence among American native Indian children was higher than the national average (Wang and Beydoun and Caballero). Overall, the trend from 1971-2004 was that all racial/ethnic groups had an increased overweight percentage. It increased from 15.5% in 1971-1974 to 33.6% in 2003-2004 (Wang and Beydoun and Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention).
 * Socioeconomic Disparities ** —No consistent association was found between SES and overweight for adolescent boys, but low-SES girls had a higher rate than medium and high-SES girls (Wang and Beydoun and Y. Wang). The trend is that between 1971 and 2002 all SES groups had an increase in overweight adolescents. Although it has increased, there were no consistent patterns found.
 * Geographic and Urban-Rural Differences ** —The authors had limited research on regional differences in overweight adolescents. The differences in combined prevalence in adolescents from urban areas compared to rural areas were small, 26.1% and 22.8% respectively (Wang and Beydoun and Y. Wang). One study showed that US adolescents living in rural working-class, exurban, and mixed ethnicity urban areas were 30% more likely to be overweight than adolescents living in newer suburbs (Wang and Beydoun and Nelson).
 * How This Relates to Our Topic: **

Khan, Laura K., Kathleen Sobush, Dana Keener, Kenneth Goodman, Amy Lowry, Jakub Kakietek, and Susan Zaro. "Recommended Community Strategies and Measurements to Prevent Obesity in the United States." //Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report// RR-7 58 (2009): 1-32. Web.
 * Bibliographic Information: **.


 * Main Question: ** The purpose of the article was to search and find the recommended community strategies and measurements to prevent obesity in the Untied States.

Communities should increase availability of healthier foods and beverages choices in public service venues. (Kettle Khan**,** 7) Limited availability in healthy food and beverage choices create a barrier to eating and drinking healthy. Schools are a main area where the increase of healthy food and beverage options need to take place. Communities also should increase the availability of affordable healthier food and beverage choices in public service venues. (Kettle Khan, 7) By lowering fruit and vegetable price by 10% so low-income persons so they can increase daily intake. (Kettle Khan, 8) Communities having greater amount of supermarkets in the area help provide more choices of food in lower-income areas. Increasing the use of foods from local farms helps to provide surrounding areas more opportunities to purchase fresh foods with better cost. Starting out children at a younger age in school with healthy food options gives them an understanding of how to eat right. When snacks are given in school, by giving smaller portion size can help teach portion control. Breastfeeding helps prevent pediatric obesity; infants were 13%-222% less likely to be obese than formula fed infants. And each additional month of breastfeeding was associated with 4% decrease obesity. (Kettle Khan,13) We need more than 150 minutes per a week in a PE class. (Kettle Khan, 14) Communities should get more involved in offering extracurricular activities. Support the building of new schools in a community closer to each other so that children are able to walk to school rather than drive. Need to improve access to public transportation so people are able to walk or ride a bike, rather than drive.
 * Main Findings: **


 * __How it relates to our topic:__ ** This relates to our topic because it gives some ideas that provides communities with options of lowering obesity rates. These are realistic options that can be done in the Atchison community and can help prevent obesity by educating and informing the students on proper eating habits.

Eric A. Finkelstein; Ruhm, Christopher J.; Kosa, Katherine M. 2005. Economic Causes and Consequences of Obesity. //Annual Review of Public Health. 26.//
 * __Bibliographic Information:__ **


 * __Intro:__ ** This article gives us insight that obesity has grown not only as a public health concern but also an economic phenomenon. It further addresses the underlying economic causes, and consequences of obesity in America. It also discusses the role of government in preventing obesity and also obesity related medical expenditures. Lastly, the article states we need to try to inform people about the consequences of obesity to try and bring down the obesity rates in America.

·We start off by being shown that when obesity has increased the incidence of related diseases increases as well like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, several types of cancer, musculoskeletal disorders, sleep apnea, and gallbladder disease. (Finkelstein et al. 1) ·The authors look into a reduction in energy expenditure as a cause for the rise in obesity rates. ·It then looks at the fall in goods-producing industries which fell from 27% in 1980 to 19% in 2000. (Finkelstein et al. 3) · The authors don’t think that this is sufficient for the explanation of the rise in obesity so they look at the increase of energy intake during the time period of the rise in obesity. · Caloric intake rose by roughly 12% or 300 calories per day between 1985 and 2000, mainly caused by an increased consumption of grains, added fats, and added sugars.(Putnum et al. in Finkelstein et al. 4) · Page 5 of Finkelstein et al. has a table showing different studies and the rise in calories consumed. · Finkelstein shows that snacking rose causing an increase in calories consumed in a day. · For females between 1977-1978 all the extra calories were explained by snacking and 90% of extra calories for males during 1994-1996. (cutler et al. in Finkelstein et al 6) · The authors then show that if food prices are lower than a rise in calorie intake will ensue. · Between 1980 and 2000 food prices fell 14%. · During the early 1980’s calorie dense foods and beverages decreased in price in comparison with foods that are less calorie dense. · Between 1985 and 2000, the price of fresh fruits and vegetables, fish, and dairy products increased by 118%, 77%, and 56% respectively. (Finkelstein et al. 6) · The supersizing of fast food and relative price of energy dense foods gives an increase in the consumption between meals, and the amount of food eaten during meals. · The rise in body weight is linked to the increase in the availability of fast-food and full-service restaurants. (Chou et al. in Finkelstein et al. 7) · The article addresses television viewing but no direct correlation can be shown between the weight epidemic and the amount of time spent in front of the television. · Although an average of 10 commercials per hour of television viewing is food commercials, most of which are for fast foods, soft drinks, sweets, and sugar-sweetened cereals. · From 1988 to 1994 there was an 88% increase in the number of physician visits resulting from obesity. (Finkelstein et al. 8) · Compared to those with a normal weight people who are moderately obese and severely obese have 14% and 25% more doctors visits. (Quesenberry in Finkelstein et al. 8) · The 1998 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey linked the National Health Interview Survey found that the average increase in annual medical expenditures associated with obesity is 37.4% and ranges between 26.1% for out-of-pocket expenses, 36.8% for Medicare recipients, and 39.1% for Medicaid recipients. (Finkelstein et al. 8) · The obesity attributable medical costs in the United States are between 5% and 7% of annual health care expenditures. (Finkelstein et al. 9) · Although these numbers are high among the obese it is suggested that the lifetime costs are lower because the obese live shorter lives. · The nonmedical expenditures associated with obesity are that the obese are more likely to be absent from work than their normal-weight counterparts. · The cost of these absents are estimated to cost employers 2.4 billion in 1998. (Thompson et al. in Finkelstein et al. 9)
 * __Main Findings:__ **