Example human biology dissertation topic 4:

The role of maternal diet in early childhood obesity

Building upon existing academic literature this dissertation focuses particularly upon the issue of maternal diet within the diets amongst Indo-Pakistani nationals living within lower-income housing Bradford and Leicester and contrasts their experiences with maternal diet and childhood obesity with those of their white neighbours in lower-income housing. This is, accordingly, a dissertation that not only looks at issues of biology but also contextualises that study within the realities of day-to-day socio-economics within two deprived parts of Britain’s inner-cities. This dissertation therefore uses a mixed method approach to provide a wider understanding to a growing problem within the UK.

Suggested initial topic reading:

• Howie, G.J., Sloboda, D.M., Kamal, T. and Vickers, M.H. (2009) ‘Maternal nutritional history predicts obesity in adult offspring independent of postnatal diet’, The Journal of Physiology, Vol. 587, pp. 905-915.
• Stotland, N.E. and King, J.C. (2011) ‘Maternal weight gain during pregnancy and obesity in the offspring’, Endocrine Updates, Vol. 30(3), pp. 205-214.