Question

"Fruit Juice May Be Fueling Pudgy Preschoolers, Study Says" is the title of an article that appeared in the San Luis Obispo Tribune. This article describes a study that found that for 3- and 4-year-olds, drinking something sweet once or twice a day doubled the risk of being seriously overweight one year later. The authors of the study state Total energy may be a confounder if consumption of sweet drinks is a marker for other dietary factors associated with overweight (Pediatrics, No vem ber 2005). Give an example of a dietary factor that might be one of the potentially confounding variables the study authors are worried about.

Answer 1

A potential confounding dietary factor in the study could be the overall intake of foods high in added sugars, such as sweetened cereals and desserts, which contribute to excess calorie consumption and are associated with obesity and other health risks.

Step-by-step explanation:

The concern expressed in the study from the article 'Fruit Juice May Be Fueling Pudgy Preschoolers, Study Says' is that while there's a correlational relationship between the consumption of sweet drinks and an increased risk of being overweight in preschoolers, this does not imply causation due to possible confounders. An example of a dietary factor that could be a potentially confounding variable includes the overall consumption of foods high in added sugars and low in other nutrients. These foods provide excessive calories without the benefit of other necessary nutrients and may include items such as sweetened cereals, grain-based desserts (cookies, doughnuts), and dairy desserts (ice cream). Regular intake of these foods may correlate with an increased consumption of sweet beverages, and together they significantly contribute to excess calorie intake and the associated risks of obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

It's imperative to take a holistic view of a child's diet and consider other unhealthy dietary habits that might coexist with high sweet drink consumption. Alongside this, the importance of physical activity and healthy eating as a fundamental part of a child's education is highlighted as merely restricting access to junk food may not be sufficient to prevent obesity.

Answer 2

Step-by-step explanation:

Hello!

A confounding variable is any variable that may affect the response variable other than the explanatory variable defined by de investigator.

For this example, the objective is to test if drinking something sweet once or twice a day doubles the risk of being seriously overweight one year later.

The explanatory variable is X: Number of sweet drinks a 3- 4- year old kid has a day (one or two)

The response variable Y: Risk of having overweight of a 3- 4- year old kid

Any other variable that modifies the risk of having overweight.

For example:

X: Weekly amount of exercise.

X: Diet of the kid (Fast Food, Sweets, balanced diet)

X: History of obesity in the family of the child.

X: Health status of the child.

I hope it helps!