Thursday, October 31, 2019

Business Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 5

Business Strategy - Essay Example It is high time for the business houses to develop efficient strategy, aligning with the changing scenario, so that they are able to sustain the changing times effectively. Primark has been a global name of repute in the clothing industry functional in Europe. It was in the year of 1969 that the first store of this leading clothing brand was inaugurated at Mary Street of Dublin in Ireland. The success of the first store led to establishment of four more stores with in a year with in the periphery of Greater Dublin. By 1971, the company had more than 15 stores in Ireland. In 1974, the group expanded to Great Britain with two high street stores in Derby and Bristol. By the end of the year 1984, the group had 44 stores, half of which were in Ireland and the other half in the United Kingdom. 1984 had been a remarkable year for the budgeted clothing group as it witnesses first multiple acquisitions by the group in lieu of five Woolworth stores (Primark, n.d.). A subsidiary of the Associated British Foods, Plc, Primark also have many other acquisitions, takeovers and mergers in its credit. In the year 1995, it acquired BHS One-Up Discount Chain and Co-Op which also included Reading Property. Among other notable acquisitions by Primark includes that of Littlewoods and six stores from Allders. Apart from the number of stores being opened in the Ireland and United Kingdom, the company ventured in to other European nations too. In 2006, Primark opened its first store in Madrid (Plenilunio) of Spain. It moved to Netherlands (at Rotterdam) in the year of 2008 and this year it has also entered in to Portugal (Lisbon) and Germany (at Bremen). Mission statement of a company defines the real motto of the organisation. In fact, it emphasises the very reason of existence of the company along with its future course of action. The mission, the vision and the objectives of the company also enables the share holders and other

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Auto Insurance Essay Example for Free

Auto Insurance Essay They can serve to insulate you from economic upheaval in the case your car is destroyed or stolen or even from bankruptcy in the event you are sued for damages someone sustained in an accident involving your car. The author guides the reader through several key criteria which should be considered in an analysis of their own policy. A 12 page overview of the world of automobile insurance. Choosing adequate automobile insurance can be one of the most cost effective things an individual can do in this modern age. Not only can automobile insurance This 6 page paper provides an overview of the basic management strategies of the USAA insurance company. This paper considers the management perspective and strategy, as well as the operational function of the company and the increasing importance of restructuring principles for the company. premiums whittle away a sizable chunk from an individual’s take-home pay, they can serve to insulate you from economic upheaval in the case your car is destroyed or stolen or even from bankruptcy in the event you are sued for damages someone sustained in an accident involving your car. The author guides the reader through several key criteria which should be considered in an analysis of their own policy. 6 pages. The BMW M3 has been the subject of many articles and consumer report studies recently. Rating cars is not only just an annual task for automotive journalists but it is also a subject which auto enthusiasts look forward to eagerly each season. Did their favorite car make it to the top? What did the critics have to say about it? And do these opinions agree with those who actually own these cars? This paper focuses on the BMW M3 in the sports car class. For those who own the BMW M3 it is likely they will claim that hands down it is the best sports car they have ever driven. Although not all of the auto magazines rated the BMW M3 as number one, most owners will disagree. The BMW M3 has everything a driver wants in a sporty car. By looking at several magazine articles and talking to drivers of these well-made and handsome cars, it is easy to conduct our own survey. Bibliography lists 12 sources.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Substance Abuse And Mental Disorders Social Work Essay

Substance Abuse And Mental Disorders Social Work Essay Dual diagnosis between drug abuse and mental illness is very common. The two problems affect and interact with each other. The number of people diagnosed with a mental illness and substance went from 210,000 to 800,000 between the years of 1998-2003. (Druss MD, Bornemann, Fry-Johnson MD, McCombs PhD, Politzer, Rust MD, 2006) Substance abuse is the most common and clinically important dual disorder among adults with severe mental illness. Studies show that fifty percent of people with mental illness also have a substance abuse problem. (Saisan, Smith, Segal, 2010) And more than half the persons with a substance abuse diagnosis also have a diagnosable mental illness. (Saisan, Smith, Segal, 2010) Clinicians believe that mental illness and substance abuse are biologically and physiologically based. Although substance abuse and mental health disorders like depression and anxiety are closely linked, one does not directly cause the other. (Saisan, Smith, Segal, 2010) Both conditions can mirror each. PROBLEM STATEMENT: More and more people are suffering from a combination of substance abuse and mental health problems. Alcohol and/or drugs are often used to relieve the symptoms of a mental illness, side effects from their medications or just to cure symptoms they are having at the time. Alcohol and drug abuse can increase original risk for mental disorders and can make symptoms of a mental health problem worse. Substance abuse and mental illness commonly co-occur due to genetic factors, environmental factors, a brain disorder and/or a development disorders. Co-occurring disorders, two disorders or illnesses occur simultaneously in the same person, they are called dual diagnosis or co morbidity. (Topics in Brief, 2007) Treatment for this dual diagnosis has not been well designed. Clients have to go a treatment facility for mental health treatment and a different facility for substance abuse treatment. This kind of treat is not successful because this leaves the client trying to cope/manger a disorder on their own. It is almost impossible for them to manger the other disorder because if they could quit on their own they would not need treatment. It can be hard to diagnose a person with a dual diagnosis of mental illness and substance abuse. One of the things that makes diagnose hard is denial by the patient. Substance abuse and mental disorders commonly co-occur because of overlapping genetic vulnerabilities, overlapping environmental triggers like stress, involvement of similar brain regions, and drug abuse and mental illness are developmental disorders. (Topics in Brief, 2007) Having a dual diagnosis put a person at greater risk for relapse. Violence and suicide attempts are also more prevalent among the dually diagnosed population. BACKGROUND: The problem of dual diagnosis became clinically clear in the early 1980s. (Drake R. P., 2001) Substance abuse and mental illness hinders your ability to function, handle life and have a healthy social life. Mental illnesses are mental conditions that disrupt a persons thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning. The World Health Organization has reported that four of the 10 leading causes of disability in the US are mental disorders. (National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2010) Some of the major and the most common mental illness that occur with substance abuse are manic depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, generalize anxiety disorder and antisocial personality disorder. It is reported that about 57.7 million Americans experience a mental health disorder in a given year. (National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2010) Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not need to sustain life or to make it better. One in four US deaths can be attributed to alcohol, tobacco, or illicit drug use. (Innovatory Combating Substance Abuse, 2010) The commonly abused drugs by people with a mental illness are alcohol, cocaine and/or marijuana. Substance abuse complicates some aspect of care for a person with a mental disorder. It provides challenges for the counselor to engage the individual in treatment. About 50% of individuals with severe mental disorders are affected by substance abuse. (Saisan, Smith, Segal, 2010) Thirty-seven percent of alcohol abusers and 53% of drug abusers also have at least on serious mental illness. (Saisan, Smith, Segal, 2010) See the chart below. The risk of developing a drug abuse problem while having a disorder goes as high as 15.5% for antisocial personality disorder and as low as 02.1% for phobias. The mental health problems that most commonly co-occur with substance abuse are depression, anxiety disorders, and bipolar disorder. (Saisan, Smith, Segal, 2010) When a person has a dual diagnosis of substance abuse and mental illness the clinician has to determine what are the symptoms/signs of the substance abuse and what are the symptoms/signs are from the mental illness. Disorders with Increased Risk of Drug Abuse Disorder Risk Antisocial personality disorder 15.5% Manic episode 14.5% Schizophrenia 10.1% Panic disorder 04. 3% Major depressive episode 04.1% Obsessive-compulsive disorder 03.4% Phobias 02.1% Source: National Institute of Mental Health. (Drug Abuse and Mental Illness Fast Facts, 2006) At least 60% of people fighting substance abuse or mental illness are fighting both at the same time. (Bouchex, 2007) Patients with mood, anxiety or drug disorders are about twice as likely to be diagnosed with the other as well. Figure 1 (Topics in Brief, 2007) The prevalence of these dual diagnoses does not mean that one condition caused the other, even if one appeared first. The high rates show the need for better treatment and treatment centers able to deal with both at the same time. WORKING DIAGNOSIS: Substance abuse can cause mental disorders due to the fact that, drug abuse can cause a mental illness, mental illness can lead to drug abuse, drug abuse and mental disorders are both caused by other common risk factors all three can contribute to the establishment of specific dual diagnosis of mental disorders and addiction. (Topics in Brief, 2007) FRAMEWORK/METHOD OF ANALYSIS: I began my search using Google and searched using the terms Substance abuse and Mental Illness. This resulted in nine articles that were relevant to my topic all of which I used as references. I then went to the Pub Med Central database and searched using the term substance abuse and mental illness and found many articles. I used four of those articles as references. The other references were found on website such as National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Drug Intelligence Center. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (LITERATURE REVIEW): This review looks at progress made in understanding the relation between drug abuse and mental illness. Volkow found that the relationship between substance abuse and mental illness is likely to reflect common contributing factors and brain substrates. (Volkow, 2001) One of the main factors substance abuse and mental illness have in common is stress. A question that still remains is the role that drug abuse has on causing psychosis in individuals with no previous psychiatric histories. Stimulant drugs induce psychosis because they increase extracellular dopamine concentration in the brain. However it does not explain why psychosis can continue after the stimulant drug is no longer present in the brain. Regier, et al, broke his study down into specific mental disorders. This review found that of people with schizophrenia forty-seven percent has some form of substance abuse problem. People diagnosed with schizophrenia have a 4 times as likely then people who do not have schizophrenia to have a substance abuse problem. (Regier, et al., 1990) The odds for people diagnosed with anxiety disorders to have a substance abuse proplem were more than fourteen percent. It is believe that substance abuse may trigger mental illness in vulnerable individuals. Evidence show a complex explanation in which well-known risk factors- such as poor cognitive function, anxiety, deficient interpersonal skills, social isolation, poverty, and lack of structured activities combined to render people with mental illnesses particularly vulnerable to alcohol and drug abuse. (Drake, 2009) People that already have a mental disorder probably appear to be extremely sensitive to the effects of alcohol and other drugs, due to having a form of brain disorder. Drake, et al, explains the term dual diagnosis as misleading because people with a dual diagnosis are diverse and tend to have multiple illnesses rather than just two illnesses. Drake discusses how researchers have established some identical finding. First, co-occurrence is common. Second, dual diagnosis is associated with a variety of negative outcomes, including higher rates of relapse, hospitalization, violence, incarceration, homeless and serious infections such as HIV and hepatitis. (Drake R. P., 2001) Third, the mental health and substance abuse treatment system delivers fragmented and ineffective care. RESTATEMENT OF WORKING DIAGNOSIS (Hypothesis): There is evidence that substance abuse can lead to a mental disorder but also a mental disorder can also lead to a substance abuse, it is not known which comes first. Like the saying which comes first the chicken or the egg. It is said that having one of the diagnosis makes you vulnerable to the other. MANAGERIAL/POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS: Why people who are having a mental disorder are so prone to drug abuse raises a lot of questions due to the limited research done on the topic. The research so far is inconsistent and has failed to address a number of issues. There is a need for more research as well as more treatment center that are equipped to deal with dual diagnosis. The patient has two brain diseases that influence one another, and which both need treatment, at the same time. This is when dual diagnosis treatment is need. It is an approach used by clinicians to treat individuals affected by two co-occurring or coexisting conditions simultaneously. Dual diagnosis affects a person physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally and socially. There is a need for an all-inclusive approach that identifies both disorders, evaluates both disorders, and at the same time treats both disorders. Many treatment centers now only treat one or the other. Substance abuse treatment are not recommended or designed to handle a ment al illness and vice versa. Awareness about the problem needs to be made public, so that people know the signs to look for and how to approach the person about their disorder correctly. Patients also need to be aware of the help that is available to them and support groups like Dual recovery Anonymous. There also needs to be better training for the counselors and physicians so that they will be able to better and accurately diagnosis patients. For recovery to be successful you must treats a clients addiction and mental health problem.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Race Relations in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou Essay

Race Relations in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou The reasons listed by the censors for banning I Know Why the Cage Bird Sings do not explain the widespread controversy around the novel. There is reason to believe that the question of the novel is in its poignant portrayal of race relations. This explains why the novel has been most controversial in the South, where racial tension is historically worst, and where the novel is partially set. Therefore, understanding the blatant and subtle effects of racism on the young Marguerite help explain the censorship controversy, and the person she became. One of the earliest examples of race relations in the book symbolizes the strict dichotomy of opportunity for black and white children. On the second page, Marguerite explains how she wished that she would wake up in a white world, with blond hair, blue eyes, and she would shudder from the nightmare of being black. Thus, from the beginning of the book, race relations were one of the major themes. Maya Angelou also shows the effect of oppression on the black people, and that impact on her as a child. One early example occurred when the po' white trash children confronted Mama in front of the store. They were represented as clownish, dirty, and rather silly. On the other hand, Mama simply stood like a rock and sang the Gospel. Her beauty of soul versus their disgusting antics creates a powerful scene about the nature of the oppressed and the oppressor. Marguerite, meanwhile, lies crouched behind the screen in agony at the inability of her class to command respect simply because of their color. Then, as the scene progresses, she understands that in spite of the disparity of power between the po'white trash and M... ...ice. It is interesting to note the poetical nature of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Her perspective of a young girl is flawless. One truly sees the events through the eyes of a young girl. For example, the molestation scenes are depicted simply and innocently, which bothers one's consciousness. Another aspect of the book is the way in which the chapters are laid out. At the beginning of each chapter, Maya introduces a topic, discusses it, and then provides resolution. Each chapter is a short story by itself, but they also relate together. The chapters build on each other, and the end provides resolution to the common threads of the book. The end, however, also is a new beginning for Marguerite. It is the perfect ending to a profound and moving novel. Works Cited: Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. New York: Random House, 1969. Â  

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Humanities Today Paper Essay

Introduction Humanities is the academic discipline that study human culture , incorporating methods that are critical, analytical and hypothetical that also have important historic components, acclaimed from the approaches from natural science. Humanities consist of philosophy, performing arts, modern and ancient languages, literature, religion and visual. Social sciences such as history, anthropology, area studies, communications studies, cultural studies, linguistics and law are also viewed as segments of humanities. In this meaning the key point for identifying humanities from other modes of individual query is the point that humanities depends on traditional and significant presentation rather than concept and reasoning. Humanities consult about the human’s presentation of his or her environment. The queries come from the common inhabitants or an individuals own concept of the reaction to traditional events and the way that it is indicated by way of art, technology, politics, literature music, structure, and religious beliefs. Other modes of individual query are centered off of confirmed information and scientific concepts. Music Music has changed drastically since the 90’s . Walkman’s and tape players were what were used to listen to music and today technology has change and enables you to listen and access music from the internet such as Pandora, ITunes and you tube, and cell phones such as smart phones and IPod’s. Music has an influence on politics and political movements. Songs such as the national Anthem, patriotic songs and political campaign jingles are all apart of music with in politics these songs are called topical songs (Goodman, 2013). A powerful connection between the art and politics, particularly between various types of art and power, occurs across traditional epochs and societies. As they reply to coexisting events and state politics, art takes on governmental as well as public measurements, becoming themselves a target of debate and even a power of governmental as well as social transformations. Art A great number of colleges offer classes such as computer science, engineering, electronic music and digital art. These classes enable an individual to create and design is through technology. In regards to components, architecture has to do with the preparing, developing and building form, room and atmosphere that indicate efficient, specialized, social, ecological, and visual concerns (Thagard, 2013). It requires the artistic adjustment and synchronization of material, engineering, light and darkness. Architecture involves the realistic aspects of recognizing components, such as arranging, cost effectiveness and development management as certification produced by designers, sketches, plans and specialized requirements, framework and actions of a building or any other kind of system that is to be or has been constructed. Philosophy Philosophy and politics are generally linked together. As both talk about the query of what is excellent and how individuals should remain. From olden days, and well beyond them, the origins of justified reason for governmental power were certainly linked with outlooks on individual instinct (Thagard 2008). In The Republic, Plato provided the discussion that the perfect community would be run by authorities of philosopher-kings, since those best at viewpoint are best able to recognize the excellent. John Dewey, Martin Heidegger, Herbert Marcuse, and Gunther Arendt are outstanding philosophers from the 20th century that seen technology as a pathway to the modern life. One of the attributes the people liked about our new president is that he would end wars. Today he is out in a position to where he is going to have to start a war or end one. According to Shapiro his philosophy is â€Å"Those regimes that break the rules must be held accountable,† he said in 2009, while accepting the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway (Shapiro, 2013). Conclusion Implied in many of these justifications supporting the humanities are the components of arguments against community assistance of humanities. John Carroll claims that we reside in a changing world, a world in which â€Å"cultural capital† is being changed with â€Å"scientific literacy† and in which the loving idea of an early humanities student is outdated ( Thagard 2013).

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Lunch Time Essay

Lunch is the time where a lot of students can’t wait to see all of their friends and eat. Students come to get a good fulfilling meal in so they can continue to learn throughout the day on a full stomach. That just isn’t the case anymore; more students than ever are becoming obese and schools haven’t done anything about it till now. There is now a worldwide restriction on what and how much students can eat. Schools should improve the nutritional value of school lunches because significant increases in student’s health will lead to a host of benefits. The main reason why childhood obesity has become such a serious issue is because children now days live more sedentary lifestyles. Children now days are bombarded with television advertisements urging them to eat foods high in fat and calories while staying inside and playing video games or watching television. Childhood obesity does not only affect children in childhood but can cause a list of health issues in their adult lives also. When it comes to education regarding childhood obesity, the responsibility needs to be addressed by the parents, schools and the media. Children that are overweight are most common in developing countries. This is because they get food from other countries to try and decline the hunger rates, but all that it is doing is creating obesity rates to increase. Countries that are becoming more westernized with their food, drifting away from more traditional meals are showing the most increase in obesity rates. This causes huge controversy throughout those countries and what it is doing to the citizens. Some people may think problem solving for hunger within those countries will be solved by sending over westernized foods that are fatting, and in the long run will cause problems in those countries, causing obesity rates to increase where they never had to worry about being obese, especially children. The National School Lunch Program serves lunch to almost 30 million students – 60 percent of the total student population. Although a large fraction of school lunch participants get their lunch free (48 percent) or at a reduced price (9 percent), a substantial number (43 percent) pay full price. If school lunches are contributing to childhood overweight, making lunches healthier could possibly impact a large number of children from socio-economic Status, race, and geography boundaries. The government plays a large role in the school lunch program, providing $6. 1 billion in total cash payments to local schools. In addition, the government provides another 15. 75 cents per lunch served for fruit juices and peanut butter. The government’s bankrolling of the program might suggest that they are able to influence what is served as part of school lunches. According to Harvard School of Public Health â€Å"Globally, an estimated 43 million preschool children (under 5) were overweight or obese in 2010, a 60 percent increase since 1990. † Parents go through the struggle of finding and trying new things that might please their children’s eating habits. Some cases it is food that is totally unhealthy for the kid but they give it to them because they simply cannot say no to their child. At school you expect them to get a healthy and fulfilling lunch in to continue learning throughout the day. The article â€Å"Students, parents, educators displeased with new school lunch standards,† by Benjamin Wood talks about all of the things students are doing to get their word out there into the world and make a statement about the new â€Å"improved† lunches. â€Å"Viral Videos mocking the guidelines and reports of increased food waste have sprung up, and a bill being called the No Hungry Kids Act has been introduced in Congress in an attempt to reverse the Healthy Hunger- Free Kids Act that spawned the new guidelines. Lunch trays are going un-touched and the food is being thrown away. â€Å"Forty percent of the food in the U. S. goes uneaten, which means Americans are throwing out the equivalent of $165 billion worth of food each year. But that’s not all. Food waste, as it decays in landfills, also produces methane, which is a potent greenhouse gas† (â€Å"The Ugly Truth About Food Waste in America†). By kids wasting more and more food everyday they think it gives them an excuse to come home and eat whatever they want because lunch wasn’t satisfying. When kids are little they come home and get an afternoon snack after a long day at school, before it were ants on a log, apples and peanut butter, pretzels, fruit, and many more. Now it is fruit snacks, Cheetos, chips, candy, pizza, all things that are high in fat, sugar, cholesterol things that are factors of high obesity rates within children. Parents just don’t have the time to make their children snacks after school anymore. Either they put their kids in an after school program or they are still at work with they get home, so the children result to the next best thing junk food. If they eat badly at home what makes them not bring the unhealthy food to school and continue to eat unhealthy without anyone saying something or putting a stop to it. â€Å"A public school, Little Village Academy on Chicago’s west side students is not allowed to pack lunches from home. Unless they have a medical excuse, they must eat the food served in the cafeteria (â€Å"Chicago school bans some lunches from home†)†. This can be a good or bad thing to have within the school. In order for this to be good successful process all staff members have to be on board with it, and wanting to make an impact on the students and the school as well. Doing this, schools won’t feel the burden of needing to do more within the school and eventually will make an impact on student’s lives. Childhood obesity has decrease dramatically within Little Village Academy, and students are showing noticeable changes with academics and fitness. Eating habits are the hardest thing to change about a person. Once they like a type of food that is either high in fat, sugar, and salt it is very hard to change their opinion about that type of food. The top five signs for food addiction according to researchers at Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Science & Policy are: ending up eating more than planned when first started to eat, keep eating when full, eat to the point of feeling ill, worrying about no eating certain types of food or worry about cutting down on certain types of foods, when certain foods aren’t available, and go out of way to get them. Just like any other addiction it is hard to stop once hooked on. Cooping Recess has always been that time to go out and play with friends that might not be in the same classes. Well there are many reasons that it is a good thing for kids and that it helps children learn more. According to Shape up America organization: â€Å"Studies show that taking a break after a period of concentrated instruction helps children process what they just learned and make them more attentive and productive in the classroom. Regular breaks from class work are beneficial for younger children and adolescents. † Over and under feeding is something that countries face every day because they do not have all of the resources that other countries can get so quickly. In upcoming countries such as Mexico and South Africa this is exactly what goes on within the country. While obesity hits lower and middle classes because it is affordable, upper class doesn’t have to worry about it because they can afford healthier food and don’t have to worry about the cost. In most upcoming countries is where childhood obesity is a major issue, because they get food from other countries to try and decline the hunger rates, but all that it is doing is creating obesity rates to increase because all of the food that is being shipped out to these countries are high in fat and sugar and unnatural preservatives that are really bad for you. Countries that are becoming more westernized with their food, drifting away from more traditional meals are showing the most increase in obesity rates. This causes huge controversy throughout those countries and what it is doing to the citizens. Some people may think problem solving for hunger within those countries will be solved by sending over westernized foods that are fatting, and in the long run will cause problems in those countries, causing obesity rates to increase where they never had to worry about being obese, especially children. The School Nutrition Dietary Assessment-III was sponsored by the U. S. Department of Agriculture in2005 in order to collect information regarding school meal policies and food programs, the content and quality of food o?  ered at schools, and children’s dietary habits. The survey includes ? ve groups: Children age 5 to 19 in grades 1 to 12, their parents, the principals of their schools, the food service managers at school, and the school food authority that governs their school. School food authorities (SFA) are the organizations responsible for overseeing all food related aspects-service, budget, management-of schools in a school district or county, and there are 130 SFA†™s in the SNDA-III (School Nutrition Dietary Assessment Study). Approximately three schools (elementary, middle, high) in each SFA’s jurisdiction were selected to answer the principal and food service manager survey for a total of 398 schools. The principals of each school provided information about meal time policies (i. e. where children eat their meals, length of lunch period and which grades eat during each period) as well as information on the of vending machines, snack bars, and nutrition education. The food service managers are in charge of day-to-day food operations, and they provided information regarding kitchen characteristics and sta? , meal prices, participation in subsidized meal programs, and the type and quantity of a la carte items available during meals. From the 130 SFA’s and 398 schools, 94 SFA’s and 288 schools were selected to have their students receive the child and parent survey. An average of 8 students from each school were selected to participate in thesurvey, and these children and their parents provided information on the child’s eating and exercise habits at home and school like; regularly eat breakfast, times per week they buy their lunch or snacks at school, what types of food they eat at home, how often they exercise/play, and standard demographic and geographic characteristics of the child and parents. The ? nal component of the child’s survey included a 24 hour dietary diary where consumption over a random school day was recorded. In addition to these survey components, each child’s height and weight were measured by survey administrators and translated into a Body Mass Index.