Example world food and nutrition dissertation topic 3:

A pan-American study of attitudes towards nutrition in different states.

Using quantitative analysis this dissertation measures different attitudes to issues of nutrition in Ohio, Utah and California. In so doing 50 participants in each state (chosen through random sampling) are asked a plethora of questions to assess their attitudes towards food. These are then computed using SPSS and the results analysed. This study could, thereafter, be used or enlarged upon for use at a postgraduate level if the volunteers were to be re-interviewed having been educated as to benefits of a more varied and healthy diet. This initial dissertation hopes, nevertheless, to provide an insight into the localism of food practices within the US and to build upon existing secondary literature relating to the need to not only spread the message of healthy eating but also to target the delivery of such campaigns to specific socio-economic groups and county/state areas.

Suggested initial topic reading:

• Hajjar, I. and Kotchen, T. (2003). Regional variations of blood pressure in the United States are associated with regional variations in dietary intakes: The NHANES-III data. The Journal of nutrition, 133(1), pp. 211-214.
• Lanska, D. J. and Kuller, L. H. (1995). The geography of stroke mortality in the United States and the concept of a stroke belt. Stroke, 26(7), pp. 1145-1149.
• Serdula, M. K., Gillespie, C., Kettel-Khan, L., Farris, R., Seymour, J. and Denny, C. (2004). Trends in fruit and vegetable consumption among adults in the United States: Behavioral risk factor surveillance system, 1994-2000. American Journal of Public Health, 94(6), pp. 1014-1018.