Investigation into Enthalpy of Neutralisation Essay Example

Investigation into Enthalpy of Neutralisation Essay The aim of this investigation is to show that heat of neutralisation is an exothermic reaction which produces water. The amount of energy given out for one mole of water is about -57.3 kJ/mol. This needs to proven by this experiment as well.ResultsStage OneThese are the results I gained from the titration.Titrant (HCl)Rough12Initial (cmà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½)121022Final (cmà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½)22.520.732Titre (cmà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½)10.510.710Stage TwoThe results gained are as follows:Time (s)Temp for expt.1 (à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C)Temp for expt.2 (à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C)Average temp (à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C)0161616518.21818.101025.124.9251528.527.828.152029.428.929.153029.529.129.34029.529.129.35029.529.129.36029.529.129.37029.529.129.38029.529.129.39029.529.129.310029.529.129.312029.229.129.1514029.028.928.9516028.628.228.418027.927.727.820026.826.926.8522026.126.326.224025.525.725.6Calculations for Stage OneConcentration of NaOHMoles = MassMolar massMoles = 8g(23+16+1) = 40= 0.2Therefore concentration of NaOH is 0.2 mol/dmà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½.Concentration of diluted bench HClMoles of NaOH in 10cmà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ = V à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ C = 10 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.2 = 0.002 moles1000 1000Equation NaOH + HCl à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ NaCl + H2OMoles 1 1Vol/cmà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 10 10.4 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ This figure is the average titre gained from Stage One.Conc. g/dmà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 8 xFrom the equation 1 mole of NaOH reacts with 1 mole of HCl to give 1 mole of NaCl and H2O. However, there are only 0.002 moles of NaOH and therefore there must be 0.002 moles of HCl. The concentration of HCl can be worked out the following equation.Concentration = Moles à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 1000 = 0.002 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1000 = 0.19 mol/dmà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Volume 10.4Concentration of the bench HClThe dilute bench HCl is diluted by a factor of ten and its concentration was found to be 0.19mol/dmà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½. The bench HCl should be ten times more concentrated.Bench HCl (dilute) = 0.19 mol/dmà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Bench HCl = 0.19 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 10 = 1.9 mol/dmà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½Therefore bench HCl has a concentration of 1.9 mol/dmà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½.Calculations for Stage TwoIn this stage the heat of neutralisation needs to be worked. Firstly, a graph needs to be plotted with the results from stage two in order to work out the maximum temperature rise. Refer to graph 1.Heat of NeutralisationHeat of neutralisation for this experiment can be represented by the following ionic equation:H3O+ (aq) + OH- (aq) à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 2H2O (l) (Na+ (aq) and Cl- (aq) are spectator ions)The equation for heat of neutralisation is as follows:Q = M à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ SHC à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ ?TFor this experiment an assumption is made that the specific heat capacities of NaOH (aq) and HCl (aq) are the same as that of water, which is 4.2 J/g à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C.The temperature of NaOH and HCl was 16à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C at room temperature. When HCl was added neutralisation took place this is an exothermic reaction which produced a maximum temperature of 29.3à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C (which is shown on graph 1).Heat of neutralisation is worked out by adding the heat rece ived by the solution to the heat received by the polystyrene cup. To simplify the calculations I am assuming that polystyrene is an insulator and it only takes a very small amount of the heat of neutralisation.Calculations to work out heat of neutralisationHeat from neutralisation = Heat received by waterQ = M à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ SHC à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ ?TQ = 20 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 4.2 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 13.3Q = 1111.88 J/moleQ = 1.11 kJ/moleThe moles of water formed is 0.02 which can be worked out by referring to the word equation. For stage two the bench acid was used. It was worked out that 10cm3 of NaOH consists of 0.002 moles for the diluted bench HCl (this is diluted by a factor of ten). Therefore the bench acid on its own must consist of 0.02 moles. By ratio the equation shows that 0.02 moles of NaOH reacts with 0.02 moles of HCl to form 0.02 moles of water.Therefore the heat of neutralisation per mole= Q = 1117.2 = 55860 = -55.86 kJ/molmoles 0.02EvaluationThe experiment went according to plan and ther e were no anomalous readings in stage two. The aim of the experiment was completed successfully. The heat of neutralisation (exothermic) in my experiment was -55.86 kJ/mol which was very close to the actual reading of -57.3 kJ/mol. My result was within an accuracy of 2.51%. This loss in accuracy may have been due to heat losses through convection, conduction and radiation. This can be minimised by using a vacuum flask which is shown below:The experiment was also simplified because the heat received by the polystyrene beaker was assumed to be negligible. The experiment could have been modified so that the heat received by the polystyrene beaker was also taken account of. This would have produced an accurate result for the heat of neutralisation.In order to investigate this experiment further I would try different acids (sulphuric acid) and alkalis (sodium chloride) in order to prove that heat of neutralisation works for any strong acid or alkali.

Canterbury Tales - Rough

Canterbury Tales - Rough Intro: During the Middle Ages, it was very common for Christians to go on pilgrimages to perform what they believed was "Gods work" . "Canterbury Tales"  was one of Chaucer's greatest masterpieces', written in the fourteenth-century. It is a collection of stories told by various people who are going on a religious pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral from London, England. The characters introduced in the prologue are very unique, and yet manages to embody many physical and behavioral traits that would have been common for someone in their profession. In this time, social class, appearance, manners, education, and motivation for making the pilgrimage was very important and was therefore represented as a difference between ranks of individuals. The following paragraphs will concentrate on the two main female characters of "Canterbury Tales" , the Prioress and the Wyf of Bath.The Prioress INTRO She is the head of a young ladies' seminary near London, England - She is the highest in social ranking among the women of the seminary.Geoffrey Chaucer School

Biological Anthropology Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Biological Anthropology - Assignment Example H. Sapiens was able to outcompete and survive than the Neanderthals because the Neanderthals were not wise enough to adapt to cultural and physiological advancements. Although the Neanderthals’ brains can be compared to that of H. Sapiens and of a modern man but their brains were solely focused on the needs of their massive bodies, leaving them unable to think logically on how they could innovate and survive as species. The case of the Neanderthal is more physiological than cultural: because they used their brains to identify the needs of their bodies, intercommunication was never part of their exercise and could have caused their extinction. During the Ice Age, H. Sapiens were more clever enough to speak complicated languages and build operations far from their locations but the Neanderthals were limited in these aspects. 2. According to the textbook, the biological definition of race is a population with individuals that have defining and measurable biological descriptions with an Fst of at least 0.25 virtual to other populations of the species. Among Humans, however, the Fst is only 0.17. This goes to say that Homo Sapiens do not have biological races. Furthermore, there is also no way to look at the genetic cards and identify race. Race, in my opinion, is just a matter of personal view. If you can certainly believe that you can categorize humans into groups based on their colors – whether it is a shade of brown or black or white – then that is a matter of personal standpoint. Nevertheless, categorization of humans based on color does not guarantee accuracy and uniformity among all people: how would you be able to distinguish an African person to an Australian aborigine? There is not enough variation in human population that could be used as basis for classifying humans into races or subspecies, much less, if

Classical Period and Romantic Period Research Paper

Classical Period and Romantic Period - Research Paper Example When we talk about classical music it is important to know that the term is applicable to music that was composed in a particular style from the 1740s to 1820. The composition of music during these years comprised of a distinct sense of proportion. Initially it was somewhat difficult for listeners to derive pleasure and enjoyment from, however after a certain time the music began to dominate their music preferences. Initially the perception modern listeners have of the classical era is that it was either too serious or plain music; however to the listeners in that era, the music was unique and very different from that of the Baroque era. The key distinction between classical era and that of the Baroque era was that the classical music had more variety when it came to divergent rhythms throughout a piece. Melodies which were introduced in the classical era were a lot more balanced, easier to sing and to remember. It was in this era that numerous nursery songs were written. It was in t he classical era that the social function of music started to evolve from that of its prior aristocratic and religious affiliations towards the public and secular sphere with its middle class connections. The gradual increase in public concerts, the growth of commercial opera houses, the increase of publishing of music, and the increase in the number of musical pieces that were composed as well as played were all implications of the change in musical times. Form was of critical importance to the composers of the classical era, and this period had a lasting effect as far as form is concerned, especially when it came to the various instrumental music forms. Previously composers had already begun to pay special attention to the various musical instruments and their capabilities. Hence the move to writing not just solo music for one specific instrument, but focusing on music which had mixed ensembles with a variety of instruments. The modern orchestra was of key importance here. It was in the classical era that the common instruments like the toccata, concerto grosso, and fugue became replaced by forms which had matured as a result of the classical period. This is where the roots of the sonata, concerto and symphony can be traced. Even though each of these forms had significant precursors prior to the classical era, but it is this version of the form that came to become the most influential through the course of the other following eras, the romantic and modern era, and even today it is still highly recognized by a multitude of art music audience and performers (Jones, 2006). Among the many kinds of music of this period, the classical era is well known for symphonies, which is a type of a large orchestral ensemble. These pieces of symphonies primarily had three movements; the first of these was the sonata, followed by the minuet, and the finale. Taking inspirations from earlier composers, Haydn and Mozart took symphonies to their peak in the late 18th century. Whi le Haydn concentrated on achieving rhythmic excellence and the composition of theme based music Mozart contributed to the symphonies by a contrast of memorable lyric themes which made use of a full sounding orchestral settings (Roger, 2008). To cater to the middle-class, classic composers came up with a ton on new chamber music which made use of a magnitude of combinations. The piano sonata became one of the important forms of chamber music. This was mainly after the refinement it received at the hands of composers like Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. The string quartet played an

Food Culture of Hong Kong Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Food Culture of Hong Kong - Essay Example Other than a short period when the island was under the hands of the Japanese, it has been under the British rule and has grown from its first state to become a great industrial and manufacturing center with many foreign firms relocating to the island. The people of Hong Kong attach great importance to food and express these in many places, including websites and even on Facebook and Twitter. The city has been aptly referred to as the culinary capital of Asia due to the diversities of foods and dishes that are found on restaurant and family tables of Hong Kong. The food culture is one that they attach great importance to what they eat, and take great care in picking it (Anderson, 2005). For example, iced lemon tea is a very common drink in restaurants and it comes in different prices pertaining to the amount of ice or sugar the customer would like, many taking into consideration that a great amount of sugar will make one fat or that more ice will have the customer drinking more water than the lemon tea. The people of Hong Kong are very meticulous in their food display and arrangement, attaching great detail to each food category. A certain type of food arrangement can even be some smaller divisions derived from the main division but have some changes in the ingredients. A type of dish called the ‘Shao Mai’, for example, is made of pork and shrimp wrapped in a thin white layer of flour and displayed in a steamer basket, but however, there are smaller dishes of the same made of purple rice or a very traditional dish of ‘Shao Mai’ made of quail’s eggs as the wrappings (DeWolf et al, 2010). This latter dish has existed through the ages but is becoming outdated, becoming replaced by the other two. The people of Hong Kong generally have no fixed time for eating and, thus, will be found eating very early or very late. The working culture due to industrialization and manufacturing makes them very hard working people who put in

Effect of School Based Obesity Interventions

Effect of School Based Obesity Interventions ABSTRACT Introduction Background Obesity in both adult and children is fast becoming one of the most serious public health problems of the 21st century in developed and developing countries alike. It is estimated that approximately 10% of school age children. The prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity is ever on the increase in the UK as in the rest of the world. It is estimated that the prevalence of overweight and obesity among 2 10 year old children in the UK rose from 22.7%-27.7% and 9.9%-13.7% respectively between 1995 and 2003; these figures are set to increase unless something is done. School-based interventions offer a possible solution in halting obesity prevalence, because the school setting provides an avenue for reaching out to a high percentage of children (especially in the western world), opportunity for constant monitoring of children and the resources for anti-obesity interventions. Objectives To systematically review the evidence of the impact of school-based interventions to prevent childhood obesity on: Adiposity (primary objective) Knowledge, physical activity levels and diet (secondary objectives) Methods The review was done following the Cochrane collaboration guidelines. In addition to searching electronic databases, first authors of all included studies were contacted. A recognised critical appraisal tool was used to assess the quality of included studies. Results Three RCTs and one CCT met the inclusion criteria for the review. All four studies had a control and intervention group; with various study limitations. While none of the studies found statistically significant BMI changes in intervention groups when compared with control group post-intervention, all of them recorded either a significant change in diet, or an increase in physical activity levels. INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND Obesity is generally understood as abnormal accumulation of fat to the extent that presents health risk (Kiess, Marcus et al. 2004), and was added to the international classification of diseases for the first time in 1948 (Kipping, Jago et al. 2008). The worldwide clinical definition of adult obesity by the WHO is body mass index (BMI) ≠¥ 30kg/m2 (WHO 2006). In children however, because of the significant changes in their BMI with age (Cole, Bellizzi et al. 2000), there is no universally accepted definition of obesity (Parizkova and Hills 2004; Bessesen 2008) and it therefore varies from country-to-country. The most commonly used definition of childhood obesity is the US definition which measures overweight and obesity in a reference population using the cut off points of 85th and 95th centiles of BMI for age (Ogden, Yanovski et al. 2007). In the UK, overweight and obesity are diagnosed using a national reference data from a 1990 BMI survey of British children (Stamatakis, Prima testa et al. 2005). Children whose weights are above the 85th centile are classed as overweight and over the 95th centile are considered obese (Reilly, Wilson et al. 2002). Recent estimates suggest that obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally with about 400 million adults being clinically obese, a figure projected to rise to about 700 million by 2015 (WHO 2006). In children, the current WHO estimates are that about 22 million children globally under age 5 are overweight (WHO 2008). In the UK, evidence suggests that obesity is set to be the number one preventable cause of disease in a matter of time (Simon, Everitt et al. 2005). In the last three decades, the scale as well as the prevalence of obesity have grown rapidly amongst all age, social and ethnic groups in the UK, as well as globally (Table 1)(Kipping, Jago et al. 2008). Estimates suggest that in the UK, between 1984 and 2002/2003, the prevalence of obesity in boys aged 5-10 rose by 4.16%, and by 4.8% in girls (Stamatakis, Primatesta et al. 2005). There is therefore there is an urgent need for the development and implementation of effective intervention strategies to halt the ever increasing obesity prevalence (Summerbell Carolyn, Waters et al. 2005). OBESITY CAUSATION The primary risk factors associated with the increase in prevalence of childhood obesity are ever increasing involvement in sedentary lifestyles and an increase also in the consumption of high energy dense food and drink (Ebbeling, Pawlak et al. 2002; Sekine, Yamagami et al. 2002; Speiser, Rudolf et al. 2005; Topp, Jacks et al. 2009). The underlying mechanism of obesity formation is an imbalance between energy input and expenditure (Moran 1999; Kipping, Jago et al. 2008) Genetic and environmental factors greatly influence the bodys energy balance. Nevertheless, genetic conditions which either cause production of excessive fat in the body or reduce the rate at which it is broken down, of which Prader-Willi syndrome is an example account for less than 5% of obese individuals (Speiser, Rudolf et al. 2005), with environmental factors accounting for a very high percentage (French, Story et al. 2001). The major cause of the rising obesity problem is arguably changes in physical and social environments (French, Story et al. 2001). In recent times, there has been a remarkable shift towards activities that do not promote energy expenditure, for example, most children would travel to school in cars rather walk, in contrast to what obtained in the 1970s (Popkin, Duffey et al. 2005; Anderson and Butcher 2006). There is evidence to suggest that obese children are less active than their non-obese counterparts, hence promoting physical activity such as walking or exercising will help prevent obesity in children (Hughes, Henderson et al. 2006). Media time (television viewing, playing video games and using the computer) has been identified as one of the significant environmental changes responsible for the surge in childhood obesity. Besides promoting physical inactivity, it encourages energy input via excessive snacking and inappropriate food choices as a result of television advertisements (Ebbeling, Pawlak et al. 2002; Speiser, Rudolf et al. 2005). Robinson in his study reveals that â€Å"between ages 2 and 17, children spend an average of 3 years of their waking lifetime watching television alone† (Robinson 1998). Parents play a significant role in where, what and how much their children eat and to an extent, how physically active their children are. In most homes, children make their food choices based on the options they are presented with by their parents, and they characteristically would go for wrong option, more so if they have an obese parent (Strauss and Knight 1999). Other changes within the family such as physical inactivity and working patterns of parents have contributed somewhat to the obesity epidemic. In a family where the parents work full-time, there tends to be very little time for them to prepare wholesome home-made meals and this could possibly explain the increasing demand for eating out (Anderson and Butcher 2006) thereby increasing intake of high energy dense food. Childrens attitude to and participation in physical activities depends largely on how physically active their parents are. Thus children of sporty parents embrace exercise heartily and are therefore less prone to becoming obese.(Sallis, Prochaska et al. 2000). In addition to these family factors, societal factors such as high crime rate, access to safe sports/recreational facilities, transportation and fewer physical education programs in schools significantly impact on energy balance (Koplan, Liverman et al. 2005; Popkin, Duffey et al. 2005; Topp, Jacks et al. 2009). French summarizes the environmental influence on obesity by opining that â€Å"The current epidemic of obesity is caused largely by an environment that promotes excessive food intake and discourages physical activity† (French, Story et al. 2001) CONSEQUENCES OF OBESITY Evidence suggests that childhood obesity and/or overweight has a great impact on both physical and psychological health; causing effects such as behavioral problems and low self esteem, with a higher risk in girls than in boys (Reilly, Methven et al. 2003). Although most of the serious consequences do not become evident until adulthood, research has shown childhood obesity to be linked to metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, stroke and heart attacks, sleep apnea, nonalchoholic fatty liver disease, higher incidence of cancers, depression, dyslipidaemia, increased blood clotting tendency, etc (Ebbeling, Pawlak et al. 2002; Reilly, Methven et al. 2003; Kiess, Marcus et al. 2004; D. A. Lawlor, C. J. Riddoch et al. 2005; Daniels 2006; WHO 2006). One of the long-term serious consequences of childhood obesity is that obese children are twice more likely to grow into obese adults than their non-obese counterparts (Moran 1999); however, this largely depends on factors such as age of onset, severity of the disease and the presence of the disease in one parent (Moran 1999; Campbell, Waters et al. 2001; Kiess, Marcus et al. 2004; WHO 2006). Other long term consequences include early death and adverse socio-economic consequences such as poor educational attainment and low/no income in adulthood (Reilly, Methven et al. 2003; Fowler-Brown and Kahwati 2004; Kiess, Marcus et al. 2004). Obesity-related morbidity places a huge and growing financial demand on governments. In the UK alone, the Department of Health has reported that obesity costs the NHS and the UK economy as a whole about  £1b and between  £2.3b  £2.6b annually respectively, with the cost to the NHS projected to rise to  £3.6b by 2010 (DH 2007). TREATMENT AND PREVENTION The treatment of obesity requires a multidisciplinary approach due to the multi-faceted nature of the condition (Parizkova and Hills 2004). This is aimed at reducing caloric intake and increasing energy expenditure through physical activity (Ebbeling, Pawlak et al. 2002). These interventions are more likely to be successful if the patients family is involved and the treatment tailored to individual needs and circumstances (Fowler-Brown and Kahwati 2004). In extreme cases, options such as surgical and pharmacological treatments could be exploited. These options are very unpopular and usually not recommended because the associated health risks outweigh the benefits by far (Epstein, Myers et al. 1998; Ebbeling, Pawlak et al. 2002). Considering the huge costs and high levels of treatment failure associated with obesity treatment (Stewart, Chapple et al. 2008), the axiom by Benjamin Franklin cannot describe any other condition better than it describes obesity management. â€Å"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure† Dietz et al confirm this by saying that prevention remains the best and most effective management of obesity (Dietz and Gortmaker 2001). Obesity prevention interventions are usually set either in the home or at school with an objective of eliminating peer pressure and, by so doing effect behavioral change (Ebbeling, Pawlak et al. 2002). Literature suggests that the school has so far remained the choice setting for these preventive interventions despite the very limited evidence on its effectiveness (Birch and Ventura 2009). Why is the school setting a good focus of intervention? Approximately 90% of children are enrolled in schools in developed countries (Baranowsk, Cullen et al. 2002) Children spend a substantial amount of time in school and therefore consume a considerable proportion of their daily calories at school (Katz, OConnell et al. 2005) School related activities present an opportunity to educate children on the concept of energy balance, healthy living and how to make appropriate food choices (Ebbeling, Pawlak et al. 2002; Koplan, Liverman et al. 2005) It offers opportunity for continuity and constant monitoring via frequent contact (Baranowski T 2002) Schools have an availability of existing manpower and facilities needed for anti-obesity interventions (Kropski, Keckley et al. 2008) In a nut shell, â€Å"Schools offer many other opportunities for learning and practicing healthful eating and physical activity behaviors. Coordinated changes in the curriculum, the in-school advertising environment, school health services, and after-school programs all offer the potential to advance obesity prevention† (Koplan, Liverman et al. 2005). PREVIOUS SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS Systematic reviews have been conducted on the effectiveness of school-based interventions in the prevention of childhood obesity. Campbell et al (2001), conducted a systematic review of 7 randomised control trials (RCTs) (6 were school-based, varying in length of time, target population, quality of study and intervention approach). The review found that dietary and physical education interventions have an effect on childhood obesity prevalence. However, success varied with different interventions amongst different age groups. Two of the three long term studies that focused on a combination of dietary education and physical activity, and dietary education respectively reported an effect on obesity prevalence reduction. Similarly, 1 out of the 3 school based short-term interventions that focused only on reducing sedentary activity also found an effect on obesity prevalence. While this review shows that dietary and physical activity interventions based at school are effective against th e risk factors of obesity, the question of generalisability and reproducibility arises as the review reports the majority of the included primary studies were carried out in the US. Most of the studies used BMI as a measure of adiposity, and BMI as has been documented varies across ethnic and racial groups (Rush, Goedecke et al. 2007), thus, it will be inappropriate to apply the findings of US-based obesity prevention interventions to children in middle and low income countries where conditions are different. There are also concerns about the methodology and study design. For example the school-based study by Gotmaker et al (1999) had limitations such as low participation rate (65%) and the researchers were unable to adjust for maturity in boys and there was also poor assessment of dietary intake. All these limitations could have been responsible for a high percentage of the reported intervention effect thus affecting the validity of the results of the study (Gortmaker, Peterson et al. 1999). The authors of the review however concluded that there is currently very limited high quality evidence on which to draw conclusions on the effectiveness of anti-obesity programmes. A Cochrane review which is an update of the Campbell et al (2001) study by Summerbell et al (2005) has examined the impact of diet, physical activity and/or lifestyle and social support on childhood obesity prevention. Their review examined the effectiveness of childhood obesity prevention interventions which included school based interventions. Their study included 10 long-term (a minimum duration of 12 months) and 12 short-term (12weeks 12 months) clinical trials (randomised and controlled). 19 out of the 22 studies that met their inclusion criteria were school/pre-school based. The study chose the appropriate study type; more than one reviewer was involved in the entire process of data collection, extraction and selection of included studies. In general, the study found that most of the school-based interventions (dietary and/or physical activity) reported some positive changes in targeted behaviours, but however had very little or no statistically significant impact on BMI. The reviewers stated that none of the 22 studies fulfilled the quality criteria because of some form of methodological weakness which includes measurement errors. For instance, the study by Jenner et al (1989) had no valid method of measuring food intake. The studies by Crawford et al (1994), Lannotti et al (1994) and Sallis et al (2000) had similar measurement errors. Reporting error was identified in studies by Little et al (1999) and Macdiarmid et al (1998). There were also reliability concerns about the secondary outcomes measurement in some of the included studies. The reviewers therefore expressed the need for further high quality research on effectiveness. Kropski et al (2008) reviewed 14 school-based studies that were designed to effect a life style change, a change in BMI, decrease overweight prevalence through a change in nutrition, physical activity or a combination of both. Of the 14 studies, three were done in the UK, one in Germany and 10 in the US. The right type of studies were chosen for this review and the whole process was done by more than one reviewer, however they were unable to draw strong conclusions on the efficacy of school-based interventions because of the limited number of primary studies available and methodological or design concerns which include: small sample size (Luepker, Perry et al. 1996; Mo-suwan, Pongprapai et al. 1998; Nader, Stone et al. 1999; Warren, Henry et al. 2003), no intention-to treat analysis (Danielzik, Pust et al.; Sallis, McKenzie et al. 1993; Sahota, Rudolf et al. 2001; Warren, Henry et al. 2003), possibility of type I (Coleman, Tiller et al. 2005) and type II errors (Warren, Henry et al. 2003), unit of analysis errors (Sallis, McKenzie et al. 1993) and inconsistent results (Mo-suwan, Pongprapai et al. 1998; Caballero, Clay et al. 2003; Coleman, Tiller et al. 2005). Despite their inability to draw a conclusion on effectiveness, overall, the review found that a combination of nutritional and physical activity interventions had the most effect on BMI and prevalence of overweight, with the result largely varying from community-to-community. The nutrition only and physical activity only interventions appeared to have had a change on lifestyles of participants but either had no significant effect on the measures of overweight or no BMI outcomes were measured. Another systematic review on the effectiveness of school-based interventions among Chinese school children was carried out by M.Li et al (2008). The authors included 22 primary studies in their review. The review reported that the primary studies showed that there are some beneficial effects of school-based interventions for obesity prevention; the reviewers however expressed their concerns that most of the studies included in the review had what they considered to be serious to moderate methodological weaknesses. Sixteen of the 22 studies included studies were cluster control trials, and there was no mention by any of the researchers that cluster analysis was applied to any of the 16 studies. In addition to lack of cluster analysis, no process evaluation was conducted in any of the studies. Only one study performed an intention to treat analysis. Twelve studies experienced dropouts, but there was incomplete information on the study population at the end of the trial and the reason f or the dropouts. Additionally, none of the studies explained the theory upon which they based their intervention. There was also potential recruitment and selection bias in all the primary studies as identified by the reviewers. They stated that none of the studies reported the number of subjects that were approached for recruitment into the study. As none of the RCTs included described the method they used in randomization, neither did they state if the studies were blinded or not. The methodological flaws in a high percentage of the included primary studies could impact on the validity of the findings of the review. Again, the authors failed to reach a conclusion on the effectiveness of the interventions because of the intrinsic weaknesses found in the primary studies, and as a result state the need for more primary studies that would address the methodological weaknesses that is highly present in nearly all existing primary studies conducted on this topic so far. The study of the efficacy of school-based interventions aimed at preventing childhood obesity or reducing the risk factors is a rather complex one. Pertinent issues on effectiveness of school-based interventions to prevent the risk factors of obesity remain that there is very limited/weak evidence on which to base policies on. Heterogeneity of primary research (in terms if age of study population, duration of intervention, measurement of outcomes and outcomes measured) makes further statistical analysis nearly impossible. BMI is currently the most widely used measure of overweight and obesity in children. However, BMI has no way of distinguishing between fat mass and muscle mass in the body and might therefore misdiagnose children with bigger muscles as obese. Another disadvantage of using BMI in overweight measurement is its inability of depicting the body fat composition (Committee on Nutrition 2003), other surrogate indicators of adiposity may be needed. Most authors that have carried out a review on this topic so far have expressed the need for further research on this topic to add to the existing body of evidence. RATIONALE FOR THIS STUDY All the systematic reviews on this subject so far have focused mainly on the United States. Lifestyle differences such as eating habits between American and British children possibly affect generalisability and reproducibility of US findings to the UK. For example, in the US, research has shown that 0.5% of all television advertisements promote food, and that about 72% of these food advertisements promote unhealthy food such as candy and fast food (Darwin 2009). In the UK paradoxically, the government in 2007 enforced regulations banning television advertisement of unhealthy foods (foods with high fat, salt, and sugar content) during television programmes aimed at children below 16 years of age (Darwin 2009). Thus US children are at a higher risk of becoming obese than their UK counterparts as a result of higher rate of exposure to TV junk food advertisements. Another lifestyle difference between American and British children is physical activity. In the UK, a high percentage of children aged 2 to 15 achieve at least 60 minutes of physical activity daily (about 70% of males and 60% of females) (DoH 2004), as opposed to the US where only about 34% of school pupils achieve the daily recommended levels of physical activity daily (CDC 2008). These differences highlight the importance of public health policies being based on the local population characteristics rather than on imported overseas figures. There is therefore need to review the evidence of UK school-based obesity interventions to inform policy relevant to the UK population. To the best of my knowledge following an extensive literature search, no systematic review has been conducted on the effectiveness of school-based intervention in preventing childhood obesity in the UK, despite the high prevalence of the condition and its public health significance in this country. This research aims to bridge this gap in knowledge by focusing on UK based studies to evaluate the efficacy of school-based interventions in the UK population. This study therefore stands out insofar as it will be assessing the effectiveness of school-based interventions in the reducing the risk factors of obesity in the UK, with a hope of providing specific local recommendations based on UK evidence. This type of review is long overdue in the UK, considering that the governments target to reduce childhood obesity to its pre-2000 levels by the year 2020 (DoH 2007) will require local evidence of effective interventions to succeed. The next stage of this review will describe in detail the research methodology to be used to conduct the proposed systematic review. Also included will be research strategy details to be adopted, study selection criteria, data collection and analysis. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES The aim of this research is to: Systematically review school-based intervention studies in the UK aimed at reducing the risk factors of childhood obesity among school children. Objectives are: To assess the efficacy of school-based anti-obesity interventions in the UK. To identify the most effective form of school-based interventions in the prevention of childhood obesity amongst school children in the UK. CRITERIA FOR INCLUDING STUDIES IN THIS REVIEW METHODS This review was performed as a Cochrane review. The Cochrane guidance on systematic reviews and reporting format were as far as possible adhered to by the author (Green, Higgins et al. 2008). The entire review process was guided by a tool for assessing the quality of systematic reviews, alongside the accompanying guidance (health-evidence.ca 2007a; health-evidence.ca 2007b). TYPES OF STUDY In the search for the effectiveness of an intervention, well conducted randomised control trials (which are the best and most credible sources of evidence) will be the preferred source of studies for this review. However, because of the limited number of RCTs conducted on this topic so far, this study will include controlled clinical trials if there is insufficient availability of RCTs. TYPES OF PARTICIPANTS School children under 18 years of age TYPES OF INTERVENTIONS Interventions being evaluated are those that aim to: Reduce sedentary lifestyle Effect nutritional change Combine the two outcomes above Reduce obesity prevalence Effect an attitude change towards physical activity and diet Studies that present a baseline and post intervention measure of primary outcome. Interventions not included in this study are: Those with no specified weight-related outcomes Those that involved school-age children but were delivered outside of the school setting, as our focus is based on school-based interventions aimed at obesity prevention. Studies done outside the UK Studies with no specified interventions Non-RCTs or CCTs For each intervention, the control group will be school children not receiving the intervention(s). TYPES OF OUTCOMES MEASURED Primary outcomes Change in adiposity measured as BMI and/or skin fold thickness Secondary outcomes Knowledge Physical activity levels Diet SEARCH METHODS FOR IDENTIFICATION OF STUDIES Electronic searches The electronic databases OVID MEDLINE ® (1950-2009), PsycINFO (1982-2009), EMBASE (1980-2009) and the British Nursing Index (1994-2009) were all searched using the OVID SP interface. The Wiley Interscience interface was used to search the following databases: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects. There was also a general search of internet using Google search engine, in an attempt to identify any ongoing studies or unpublished reports before proceeding to search grey literature sources. Grey literature For references to childhood obesity prevention in schools, the following grey literature sources were searched: British Library Integrated Catalogue (http://catalogue.bl.uk/F/?func=filefile_name=login-bl-list) ISI index of Conference Proceedings (http://wok.mimas.ac.uk/) SCIRUS (http://www.scirus.com/) System for Information on Grey Literature (http://opensigle.inist.fr/) ZETOC (http://zetoc.mimas.ac.uk) Additionally, current control trials database at http://www.controlled-trials.com/ was searched for any ongoing research. The UK national research register was also searched at https://portal.nihr.ac.uk/Pages/NRRArchive.aspx. All the links to the grey literature databases were tested at the time of this review and found to be working. Hand searches It was not possible to conduct a hand search of journals due to pragmatic reasons. Reference lists Reference lists of retrieved studies were searched for other potential relevant studies that might have been omitted in the earlier search. Correspondence First author of all included studies were contacted with a view to seeking more references. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Selection of studies The abstracts and titles of the hits from the electronic databases searched were screened for relevance by a single assessor. Those that were thought to be potentially relevant were retrieved and downloaded unto EndnoteTM to make the results manageable and also avoid loss of data. At the end of the search, all databases were merged into one single database and duplicated records of the same study were removed. Subsequently, the assessor then sought and obtained the full text of, and reviewed the relevant studies that were considered eligible for inclusion. Multiple reports of same study were linked together. No further data were sought for studies not included in the review. Data extraction Data extraction from included studies was done by a single reviewer and the data recorded on a data extraction form. A summary of each included study was described according to these characteristics: Participants (age, ethnicity etc.), study design, description of school-based interventions, study quality and details such as follow-ups and date, location, outcomes measured, theoretical framework, baseline comparability and results Assessment of methodological quality of included studies A number of researchers (Jackson, Waters et al. 2005) and the Cochrane guidelines for systematic reviews of health promotion and public health interventions (Rebecca Armstrong, Waters et al. 2007) strongly advise using the Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies (2008a) developed by the Effective Public Health Practice Project in Canada and the accompanying dictionary (to act as a guideline) (2008b) in assessing methodological quality. Based on criteria such as selection bias, study design, blinding, cofounders, data collection methods, withdrawals and drop-outs and intervention integrity, the tool which is designed to cover any quantitative study employs the use of a scale (strong, moderate or weak) to assess the quality of each study included in the review. Analysis Considering the small number of studies included in the review and heterogeneity in terms of interventions, delivery methods, intensity of interventions, age of participants, duration of intervention and outcomes measured, it was not statistically appropriate to undertake a Meta analysis, which admittedly would have been the preferred method of analysing and summarising the results of the studies. A narrative synthesis of the results was done instead. RESULT DESCRIPTION OF STUDIES Results of the search The search of electronic sources identified 811 citations out of which 97 potential studies were retrieved. A reference management software EndnoteTM was used to search for and remove duplicate citations. Further screening of title and abstract reduced the number of citations to 17 potential studies. Full texts of the 17 studies were sought, 13 were excluded, and four met the inclusion criteria and were therefore included in the review. Authors of the four studies were then conta Effect of School Based Obesity Interventions Effect of School Based Obesity Interventions ABSTRACT Introduction Background Obesity in both adult and children is fast becoming one of the most serious public health problems of the 21st century in developed and developing countries alike. It is estimated that approximately 10% of school age children. The prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity is ever on the increase in the UK as in the rest of the world. It is estimated that the prevalence of overweight and obesity among 2 10 year old children in the UK rose from 22.7%-27.7% and 9.9%-13.7% respectively between 1995 and 2003; these figures are set to increase unless something is done. School-based interventions offer a possible solution in halting obesity prevalence, because the school setting provides an avenue for reaching out to a high percentage of children (especially in the western world), opportunity for constant monitoring of children and the resources for anti-obesity interventions. Objectives To systematically review the evidence of the impact of school-based interventions to prevent childhood obesity on: Adiposity (primary objective) Knowledge, physical activity levels and diet (secondary objectives) Methods The review was done following the Cochrane collaboration guidelines. In addition to searching electronic databases, first authors of all included studies were contacted. A recognised critical appraisal tool was used to assess the quality of included studies. Results Three RCTs and one CCT met the inclusion criteria for the review. All four studies had a control and intervention group; with various study limitations. While none of the studies found statistically significant BMI changes in intervention groups when compared with control group post-intervention, all of them recorded either a significant change in diet, or an increase in physical activity levels. INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND Obesity is generally understood as abnormal accumulation of fat to the extent that presents health risk (Kiess, Marcus et al. 2004), and was added to the international classification of diseases for the first time in 1948 (Kipping, Jago et al. 2008). The worldwide clinical definition of adult obesity by the WHO is body mass index (BMI) ≠¥ 30kg/m2 (WHO 2006). In children however, because of the significant changes in their BMI with age (Cole, Bellizzi et al. 2000), there is no universally accepted definition of obesity (Parizkova and Hills 2004; Bessesen 2008) and it therefore varies from country-to-country. The most commonly used definition of childhood obesity is the US definition which measures overweight and obesity in a reference population using the cut off points of 85th and 95th centiles of BMI for age (Ogden, Yanovski et al. 2007). In the UK, overweight and obesity are diagnosed using a national reference data from a 1990 BMI survey of British children (Stamatakis, Prima testa et al. 2005). Children whose weights are above the 85th centile are classed as overweight and over the 95th centile are considered obese (Reilly, Wilson et al. 2002). Recent estimates suggest that obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally with about 400 million adults being clinically obese, a figure projected to rise to about 700 million by 2015 (WHO 2006). In children, the current WHO estimates are that about 22 million children globally under age 5 are overweight (WHO 2008). In the UK, evidence suggests that obesity is set to be the number one preventable cause of disease in a matter of time (Simon, Everitt et al. 2005). In the last three decades, the scale as well as the prevalence of obesity have grown rapidly amongst all age, social and ethnic groups in the UK, as well as globally (Table 1)(Kipping, Jago et al. 2008). Estimates suggest that in the UK, between 1984 and 2002/2003, the prevalence of obesity in boys aged 5-10 rose by 4.16%, and by 4.8% in girls (Stamatakis, Primatesta et al. 2005). There is therefore there is an urgent need for the development and implementation of effective intervention strategies to halt the ever increasing obesity prevalence (Summerbell Carolyn, Waters et al. 2005). OBESITY CAUSATION The primary risk factors associated with the increase in prevalence of childhood obesity are ever increasing involvement in sedentary lifestyles and an increase also in the consumption of high energy dense food and drink (Ebbeling, Pawlak et al. 2002; Sekine, Yamagami et al. 2002; Speiser, Rudolf et al. 2005; Topp, Jacks et al. 2009). The underlying mechanism of obesity formation is an imbalance between energy input and expenditure (Moran 1999; Kipping, Jago et al. 2008) Genetic and environmental factors greatly influence the bodys energy balance. Nevertheless, genetic conditions which either cause production of excessive fat in the body or reduce the rate at which it is broken down, of which Prader-Willi syndrome is an example account for less than 5% of obese individuals (Speiser, Rudolf et al. 2005), with environmental factors accounting for a very high percentage (French, Story et al. 2001). The major cause of the rising obesity problem is arguably changes in physical and social environments (French, Story et al. 2001). In recent times, there has been a remarkable shift towards activities that do not promote energy expenditure, for example, most children would travel to school in cars rather walk, in contrast to what obtained in the 1970s (Popkin, Duffey et al. 2005; Anderson and Butcher 2006). There is evidence to suggest that obese children are less active than their non-obese counterparts, hence promoting physical activity such as walking or exercising will help prevent obesity in children (Hughes, Henderson et al. 2006). Media time (television viewing, playing video games and using the computer) has been identified as one of the significant environmental changes responsible for the surge in childhood obesity. Besides promoting physical inactivity, it encourages energy input via excessive snacking and inappropriate food choices as a result of television advertisements (Ebbeling, Pawlak et al. 2002; Speiser, Rudolf et al. 2005). Robinson in his study reveals that â€Å"between ages 2 and 17, children spend an average of 3 years of their waking lifetime watching television alone† (Robinson 1998). Parents play a significant role in where, what and how much their children eat and to an extent, how physically active their children are. In most homes, children make their food choices based on the options they are presented with by their parents, and they characteristically would go for wrong option, more so if they have an obese parent (Strauss and Knight 1999). Other changes within the family such as physical inactivity and working patterns of parents have contributed somewhat to the obesity epidemic. In a family where the parents work full-time, there tends to be very little time for them to prepare wholesome home-made meals and this could possibly explain the increasing demand for eating out (Anderson and Butcher 2006) thereby increasing intake of high energy dense food. Childrens attitude to and participation in physical activities depends largely on how physically active their parents are. Thus children of sporty parents embrace exercise heartily and are therefore less prone to becoming obese.(Sallis, Prochaska et al. 2000). In addition to these family factors, societal factors such as high crime rate, access to safe sports/recreational facilities, transportation and fewer physical education programs in schools significantly impact on energy balance (Koplan, Liverman et al. 2005; Popkin, Duffey et al. 2005; Topp, Jacks et al. 2009). French summarizes the environmental influence on obesity by opining that â€Å"The current epidemic of obesity is caused largely by an environment that promotes excessive food intake and discourages physical activity† (French, Story et al. 2001) CONSEQUENCES OF OBESITY Evidence suggests that childhood obesity and/or overweight has a great impact on both physical and psychological health; causing effects such as behavioral problems and low self esteem, with a higher risk in girls than in boys (Reilly, Methven et al. 2003). Although most of the serious consequences do not become evident until adulthood, research has shown childhood obesity to be linked to metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, stroke and heart attacks, sleep apnea, nonalchoholic fatty liver disease, higher incidence of cancers, depression, dyslipidaemia, increased blood clotting tendency, etc (Ebbeling, Pawlak et al. 2002; Reilly, Methven et al. 2003; Kiess, Marcus et al. 2004; D. A. Lawlor, C. J. Riddoch et al. 2005; Daniels 2006; WHO 2006). One of the long-term serious consequences of childhood obesity is that obese children are twice more likely to grow into obese adults than their non-obese counterparts (Moran 1999); however, this largely depends on factors such as age of onset, severity of the disease and the presence of the disease in one parent (Moran 1999; Campbell, Waters et al. 2001; Kiess, Marcus et al. 2004; WHO 2006). Other long term consequences include early death and adverse socio-economic consequences such as poor educational attainment and low/no income in adulthood (Reilly, Methven et al. 2003; Fowler-Brown and Kahwati 2004; Kiess, Marcus et al. 2004). Obesity-related morbidity places a huge and growing financial demand on governments. In the UK alone, the Department of Health has reported that obesity costs the NHS and the UK economy as a whole about  £1b and between  £2.3b  £2.6b annually respectively, with the cost to the NHS projected to rise to  £3.6b by 2010 (DH 2007). TREATMENT AND PREVENTION The treatment of obesity requires a multidisciplinary approach due to the multi-faceted nature of the condition (Parizkova and Hills 2004). This is aimed at reducing caloric intake and increasing energy expenditure through physical activity (Ebbeling, Pawlak et al. 2002). These interventions are more likely to be successful if the patients family is involved and the treatment tailored to individual needs and circumstances (Fowler-Brown and Kahwati 2004). In extreme cases, options such as surgical and pharmacological treatments could be exploited. These options are very unpopular and usually not recommended because the associated health risks outweigh the benefits by far (Epstein, Myers et al. 1998; Ebbeling, Pawlak et al. 2002). Considering the huge costs and high levels of treatment failure associated with obesity treatment (Stewart, Chapple et al. 2008), the axiom by Benjamin Franklin cannot describe any other condition better than it describes obesity management. â€Å"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure† Dietz et al confirm this by saying that prevention remains the best and most effective management of obesity (Dietz and Gortmaker 2001). Obesity prevention interventions are usually set either in the home or at school with an objective of eliminating peer pressure and, by so doing effect behavioral change (Ebbeling, Pawlak et al. 2002). Literature suggests that the school has so far remained the choice setting for these preventive interventions despite the very limited evidence on its effectiveness (Birch and Ventura 2009). Why is the school setting a good focus of intervention? Approximately 90% of children are enrolled in schools in developed countries (Baranowsk, Cullen et al. 2002) Children spend a substantial amount of time in school and therefore consume a considerable proportion of their daily calories at school (Katz, OConnell et al. 2005) School related activities present an opportunity to educate children on the concept of energy balance, healthy living and how to make appropriate food choices (Ebbeling, Pawlak et al. 2002; Koplan, Liverman et al. 2005) It offers opportunity for continuity and constant monitoring via frequent contact (Baranowski T 2002) Schools have an availability of existing manpower and facilities needed for anti-obesity interventions (Kropski, Keckley et al. 2008) In a nut shell, â€Å"Schools offer many other opportunities for learning and practicing healthful eating and physical activity behaviors. Coordinated changes in the curriculum, the in-school advertising environment, school health services, and after-school programs all offer the potential to advance obesity prevention† (Koplan, Liverman et al. 2005). PREVIOUS SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS Systematic reviews have been conducted on the effectiveness of school-based interventions in the prevention of childhood obesity. Campbell et al (2001), conducted a systematic review of 7 randomised control trials (RCTs) (6 were school-based, varying in length of time, target population, quality of study and intervention approach). The review found that dietary and physical education interventions have an effect on childhood obesity prevalence. However, success varied with different interventions amongst different age groups. Two of the three long term studies that focused on a combination of dietary education and physical activity, and dietary education respectively reported an effect on obesity prevalence reduction. Similarly, 1 out of the 3 school based short-term interventions that focused only on reducing sedentary activity also found an effect on obesity prevalence. While this review shows that dietary and physical activity interventions based at school are effective against th e risk factors of obesity, the question of generalisability and reproducibility arises as the review reports the majority of the included primary studies were carried out in the US. Most of the studies used BMI as a measure of adiposity, and BMI as has been documented varies across ethnic and racial groups (Rush, Goedecke et al. 2007), thus, it will be inappropriate to apply the findings of US-based obesity prevention interventions to children in middle and low income countries where conditions are different. There are also concerns about the methodology and study design. For example the school-based study by Gotmaker et al (1999) had limitations such as low participation rate (65%) and the researchers were unable to adjust for maturity in boys and there was also poor assessment of dietary intake. All these limitations could have been responsible for a high percentage of the reported intervention effect thus affecting the validity of the results of the study (Gortmaker, Peterson et al. 1999). The authors of the review however concluded that there is currently very limited high quality evidence on which to draw conclusions on the effectiveness of anti-obesity programmes. A Cochrane review which is an update of the Campbell et al (2001) study by Summerbell et al (2005) has examined the impact of diet, physical activity and/or lifestyle and social support on childhood obesity prevention. Their review examined the effectiveness of childhood obesity prevention interventions which included school based interventions. Their study included 10 long-term (a minimum duration of 12 months) and 12 short-term (12weeks 12 months) clinical trials (randomised and controlled). 19 out of the 22 studies that met their inclusion criteria were school/pre-school based. The study chose the appropriate study type; more than one reviewer was involved in the entire process of data collection, extraction and selection of included studies. In general, the study found that most of the school-based interventions (dietary and/or physical activity) reported some positive changes in targeted behaviours, but however had very little or no statistically significant impact on BMI. The reviewers stated that none of the 22 studies fulfilled the quality criteria because of some form of methodological weakness which includes measurement errors. For instance, the study by Jenner et al (1989) had no valid method of measuring food intake. The studies by Crawford et al (1994), Lannotti et al (1994) and Sallis et al (2000) had similar measurement errors. Reporting error was identified in studies by Little et al (1999) and Macdiarmid et al (1998). There were also reliability concerns about the secondary outcomes measurement in some of the included studies. The reviewers therefore expressed the need for further high quality research on effectiveness. Kropski et al (2008) reviewed 14 school-based studies that were designed to effect a life style change, a change in BMI, decrease overweight prevalence through a change in nutrition, physical activity or a combination of both. Of the 14 studies, three were done in the UK, one in Germany and 10 in the US. The right type of studies were chosen for this review and the whole process was done by more than one reviewer, however they were unable to draw strong conclusions on the efficacy of school-based interventions because of the limited number of primary studies available and methodological or design concerns which include: small sample size (Luepker, Perry et al. 1996; Mo-suwan, Pongprapai et al. 1998; Nader, Stone et al. 1999; Warren, Henry et al. 2003), no intention-to treat analysis (Danielzik, Pust et al.; Sallis, McKenzie et al. 1993; Sahota, Rudolf et al. 2001; Warren, Henry et al. 2003), possibility of type I (Coleman, Tiller et al. 2005) and type II errors (Warren, Henry et al. 2003), unit of analysis errors (Sallis, McKenzie et al. 1993) and inconsistent results (Mo-suwan, Pongprapai et al. 1998; Caballero, Clay et al. 2003; Coleman, Tiller et al. 2005). Despite their inability to draw a conclusion on effectiveness, overall, the review found that a combination of nutritional and physical activity interventions had the most effect on BMI and prevalence of overweight, with the result largely varying from community-to-community. The nutrition only and physical activity only interventions appeared to have had a change on lifestyles of participants but either had no significant effect on the measures of overweight or no BMI outcomes were measured. Another systematic review on the effectiveness of school-based interventions among Chinese school children was carried out by M.Li et al (2008). The authors included 22 primary studies in their review. The review reported that the primary studies showed that there are some beneficial effects of school-based interventions for obesity prevention; the reviewers however expressed their concerns that most of the studies included in the review had what they considered to be serious to moderate methodological weaknesses. Sixteen of the 22 studies included studies were cluster control trials, and there was no mention by any of the researchers that cluster analysis was applied to any of the 16 studies. In addition to lack of cluster analysis, no process evaluation was conducted in any of the studies. Only one study performed an intention to treat analysis. Twelve studies experienced dropouts, but there was incomplete information on the study population at the end of the trial and the reason f or the dropouts. Additionally, none of the studies explained the theory upon which they based their intervention. There was also potential recruitment and selection bias in all the primary studies as identified by the reviewers. They stated that none of the studies reported the number of subjects that were approached for recruitment into the study. As none of the RCTs included described the method they used in randomization, neither did they state if the studies were blinded or not. The methodological flaws in a high percentage of the included primary studies could impact on the validity of the findings of the review. Again, the authors failed to reach a conclusion on the effectiveness of the interventions because of the intrinsic weaknesses found in the primary studies, and as a result state the need for more primary studies that would address the methodological weaknesses that is highly present in nearly all existing primary studies conducted on this topic so far. The study of the efficacy of school-based interventions aimed at preventing childhood obesity or reducing the risk factors is a rather complex one. Pertinent issues on effectiveness of school-based interventions to prevent the risk factors of obesity remain that there is very limited/weak evidence on which to base policies on. Heterogeneity of primary research (in terms if age of study population, duration of intervention, measurement of outcomes and outcomes measured) makes further statistical analysis nearly impossible. BMI is currently the most widely used measure of overweight and obesity in children. However, BMI has no way of distinguishing between fat mass and muscle mass in the body and might therefore misdiagnose children with bigger muscles as obese. Another disadvantage of using BMI in overweight measurement is its inability of depicting the body fat composition (Committee on Nutrition 2003), other surrogate indicators of adiposity may be needed. Most authors that have carried out a review on this topic so far have expressed the need for further research on this topic to add to the existing body of evidence. RATIONALE FOR THIS STUDY All the systematic reviews on this subject so far have focused mainly on the United States. Lifestyle differences such as eating habits between American and British children possibly affect generalisability and reproducibility of US findings to the UK. For example, in the US, research has shown that 0.5% of all television advertisements promote food, and that about 72% of these food advertisements promote unhealthy food such as candy and fast food (Darwin 2009). In the UK paradoxically, the government in 2007 enforced regulations banning television advertisement of unhealthy foods (foods with high fat, salt, and sugar content) during television programmes aimed at children below 16 years of age (Darwin 2009). Thus US children are at a higher risk of becoming obese than their UK counterparts as a result of higher rate of exposure to TV junk food advertisements. Another lifestyle difference between American and British children is physical activity. In the UK, a high percentage of children aged 2 to 15 achieve at least 60 minutes of physical activity daily (about 70% of males and 60% of females) (DoH 2004), as opposed to the US where only about 34% of school pupils achieve the daily recommended levels of physical activity daily (CDC 2008). These differences highlight the importance of public health policies being based on the local population characteristics rather than on imported overseas figures. There is therefore need to review the evidence of UK school-based obesity interventions to inform policy relevant to the UK population. To the best of my knowledge following an extensive literature search, no systematic review has been conducted on the effectiveness of school-based intervention in preventing childhood obesity in the UK, despite the high prevalence of the condition and its public health significance in this country. This research aims to bridge this gap in knowledge by focusing on UK based studies to evaluate the efficacy of school-based interventions in the UK population. This study therefore stands out insofar as it will be assessing the effectiveness of school-based interventions in the reducing the risk factors of obesity in the UK, with a hope of providing specific local recommendations based on UK evidence. This type of review is long overdue in the UK, considering that the governments target to reduce childhood obesity to its pre-2000 levels by the year 2020 (DoH 2007) will require local evidence of effective interventions to succeed. The next stage of this review will describe in detail the research methodology to be used to conduct the proposed systematic review. Also included will be research strategy details to be adopted, study selection criteria, data collection and analysis. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES The aim of this research is to: Systematically review school-based intervention studies in the UK aimed at reducing the risk factors of childhood obesity among school children. Objectives are: To assess the efficacy of school-based anti-obesity interventions in the UK. To identify the most effective form of school-based interventions in the prevention of childhood obesity amongst school children in the UK. CRITERIA FOR INCLUDING STUDIES IN THIS REVIEW METHODS This review was performed as a Cochrane review. The Cochrane guidance on systematic reviews and reporting format were as far as possible adhered to by the author (Green, Higgins et al. 2008). The entire review process was guided by a tool for assessing the quality of systematic reviews, alongside the accompanying guidance (health-evidence.ca 2007a; health-evidence.ca 2007b). TYPES OF STUDY In the search for the effectiveness of an intervention, well conducted randomised control trials (which are the best and most credible sources of evidence) will be the preferred source of studies for this review. However, because of the limited number of RCTs conducted on this topic so far, this study will include controlled clinical trials if there is insufficient availability of RCTs. TYPES OF PARTICIPANTS School children under 18 years of age TYPES OF INTERVENTIONS Interventions being evaluated are those that aim to: Reduce sedentary lifestyle Effect nutritional change Combine the two outcomes above Reduce obesity prevalence Effect an attitude change towards physical activity and diet Studies that present a baseline and post intervention measure of primary outcome. Interventions not included in this study are: Those with no specified weight-related outcomes Those that involved school-age children but were delivered outside of the school setting, as our focus is based on school-based interventions aimed at obesity prevention. Studies done outside the UK Studies with no specified interventions Non-RCTs or CCTs For each intervention, the control group will be school children not receiving the intervention(s). TYPES OF OUTCOMES MEASURED Primary outcomes Change in adiposity measured as BMI and/or skin fold thickness Secondary outcomes Knowledge Physical activity levels Diet SEARCH METHODS FOR IDENTIFICATION OF STUDIES Electronic searches The electronic databases OVID MEDLINE ® (1950-2009), PsycINFO (1982-2009), EMBASE (1980-2009) and the British Nursing Index (1994-2009) were all searched using the OVID SP interface. The Wiley Interscience interface was used to search the following databases: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects. There was also a general search of internet using Google search engine, in an attempt to identify any ongoing studies or unpublished reports before proceeding to search grey literature sources. Grey literature For references to childhood obesity prevention in schools, the following grey literature sources were searched: British Library Integrated Catalogue (http://catalogue.bl.uk/F/?func=filefile_name=login-bl-list) ISI index of Conference Proceedings (http://wok.mimas.ac.uk/) SCIRUS (http://www.scirus.com/) System for Information on Grey Literature (http://opensigle.inist.fr/) ZETOC (http://zetoc.mimas.ac.uk) Additionally, current control trials database at http://www.controlled-trials.com/ was searched for any ongoing research. The UK national research register was also searched at https://portal.nihr.ac.uk/Pages/NRRArchive.aspx. All the links to the grey literature databases were tested at the time of this review and found to be working. Hand searches It was not possible to conduct a hand search of journals due to pragmatic reasons. Reference lists Reference lists of retrieved studies were searched for other potential relevant studies that might have been omitted in the earlier search. Correspondence First author of all included studies were contacted with a view to seeking more references. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Selection of studies The abstracts and titles of the hits from the electronic databases searched were screened for relevance by a single assessor. Those that were thought to be potentially relevant were retrieved and downloaded unto EndnoteTM to make the results manageable and also avoid loss of data. At the end of the search, all databases were merged into one single database and duplicated records of the same study were removed. Subsequently, the assessor then sought and obtained the full text of, and reviewed the relevant studies that were considered eligible for inclusion. Multiple reports of same study were linked together. No further data were sought for studies not included in the review. Data extraction Data extraction from included studies was done by a single reviewer and the data recorded on a data extraction form. A summary of each included study was described according to these characteristics: Participants (age, ethnicity etc.), study design, description of school-based interventions, study quality and details such as follow-ups and date, location, outcomes measured, theoretical framework, baseline comparability and results Assessment of methodological quality of included studies A number of researchers (Jackson, Waters et al. 2005) and the Cochrane guidelines for systematic reviews of health promotion and public health interventions (Rebecca Armstrong, Waters et al. 2007) strongly advise using the Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies (2008a) developed by the Effective Public Health Practice Project in Canada and the accompanying dictionary (to act as a guideline) (2008b) in assessing methodological quality. Based on criteria such as selection bias, study design, blinding, cofounders, data collection methods, withdrawals and drop-outs and intervention integrity, the tool which is designed to cover any quantitative study employs the use of a scale (strong, moderate or weak) to assess the quality of each study included in the review. Analysis Considering the small number of studies included in the review and heterogeneity in terms of interventions, delivery methods, intensity of interventions, age of participants, duration of intervention and outcomes measured, it was not statistically appropriate to undertake a Meta analysis, which admittedly would have been the preferred method of analysing and summarising the results of the studies. A narrative synthesis of the results was done instead. RESULT DESCRIPTION OF STUDIES Results of the search The search of electronic sources identified 811 citations out of which 97 potential studies were retrieved. A reference management software EndnoteTM was used to search for and remove duplicate citations. Further screening of title and abstract reduced the number of citations to 17 potential studies. Full texts of the 17 studies were sought, 13 were excluded, and four met the inclusion criteria and were therefore included in the review. Authors of the four studies were then conta

King Lear :: essays research papers

King Lear is widely regarded as Shakespeare's crowning artistic achievement. The scenes in which a mad Lear rages naked on a stormy heath against his deceitful daughters and nature itself are considered by many scholars to be the finest example of tragic lyricism in the English language. Shakespeare took his main plot line of an aged monarch abused by his children from a folk tale that appeared first in written form in the 12th century and was based on spoken stories that originated much further into the Middle Ages. In several written versions of "Lear," the king does not go mad, his "good" daughter does not die, and the tale has a happy ending. This is not the case with Shakespeare's Lear, a tragedy of such consuming force that audiences and readers are left to wonder whether there is any meaning to the physical and moral carnage with which King Lear concludes. Like the noble Kent, seeing a mad, pathetic Lear with the murdered Cordelia in his arms, the profound brutality of the tale compels us to wonder, "Is this the promised end?" (V.iii.264). That very question stands at the divide between traditional critics of King Lear who find a heroic pattern in the story and modern readers who see no redeeming or purgative dimension to the play at all, the message being the bare futility of the human condition with Lear as Everyman. As in Macbeth terror reaches its utmost height, in King Lear the sense of compassion is exhausted. The principal characters here are not those who act, but those who suffer. We have not in this, as in most tragedies, the picture of a calamity in which the sudden blows of fate seem still to honor the head which they strike, and where the loss is always accompanied by some flattering consolation in the memory of the former possession; but a fall from the highest elevation into the deepest abyss of misery, where humanity is stripped of all external and internal advantages, and given up a prey to naked helplessness. The threefold dignity of a king, an old man, and a father, is dishonored by the cruel ingratitude of his unnatural daughters; the old king, who out of a foolish tenderness has given away everything, is driven out into the world a homeless beggar; the childish imbecility to which he was fast advancing changes into the wildest insanity, and when he is rescued from the destitution to which he was abandoned, it is too late.

Coral Reefs, Our Disappearing Beauty

Coral reefs are one of nature's riches ecosystems with a diverse existence of life which is ultimately quite complex. They are a colorful ecosystem that plays an important role in the marine world and the human world as well. They are home to countless plants and animals, a source of food, medicines and one of the unique wonders of our world. While they might bring the image of life near a tropical paradise, there is much more to the coral reef than its beauty. These beauties are home to a diverse population that benefits humans, each type in its own way. But will we be able to save these natural wonders? Corals belong to the same group of animals as jellyfish and sea anemones. While they seem to move in the current of the ocean, they actually do not move and stay in one place. Coral use their tentacles to feed and exist in colonies. They grow every slowly but they can live anywhere from a few decades to even centuries. They have a hard calcium carbonate skeleton which provides them with protection. The calcium carbonate is continually deposited which added to its size, however, their growth varies depending on the conditions within the environment. The growth of the coral reef is long and slow and it takes several years for it grow only a few inches. This growth can be even slower when you consider the destructive activities of animals, storms and humans. As the coral grows they form colonies which become the basic foundation of the reef. Coral reefs need particular conditions in order to survive. They generally grow near the shoreline which is a form of protection for the shore. Coral reefs only grow to depths approximately 45 meters because they need sunlight in order to survive. The amount of oxygen available is also important because coral have symbiotic relationship with some types of algae. The algae live in the coral and perform photosynthesis which makes food for the algae and the coral alike. The coral gives the algae protection and sunlight. For this reason coral reefs are built in shallow, clear water where lights can reach them. The amount of sedimentation mud be low because sediments can block the sunlight they need. There are three main kinds of coral reefs. Each of these is thought to be a stage in the development of the coral reef. (Birkeland, 1997). These include the fringing reefs, barrier reefs and atolls. Some scientists include a fourth type, the patch reef, as well. The most common type of ref is the fringing reef. Found very near to land they can often form a shallow area in the lagoon. When reefs are formed it is the fringing reef that is formed first. Another type of reef is the barrier reef. It can resemble the fringing reef but they do not form so close to shore and are usually much larger than the fringing reef. The fringing reef grows out and the distance from land becomes greater causing the fringing reef to become a barrier reef. The atoll is shaped like a horseshoe or can be a circle. It surround the lagoon although there is no land associated with the atoll. This is because when the land subsides, only the reef remains and it has the shape of the land it surrounded. Finally, there is the patch reef which usually are found within the lagoon and ore the outcrops of coral. An abundance of both plant and animal life are an integral part of coral reefs. Scientists continue to discover new species and learn a great deal from coral reefs. First, the coral itself is living with the skeleton of calcium carbonate surrounding them for protection. The first animal that comes to mind when discussing coral reefs is the fish. Fish of every color swim in the reef, finding food, using it for protection, making it their home. Fish camouflage themselves within the reef to steer clear of larger fish and sharks. Sharks often scour the coral looking for a stray fish. Sea snakes also make the coral reef their home. There are also invertebrates like starfish who travel through the many species of seagrass and algae within the reef. There are many species of sea turtles that make coral reefs their home as well. These are only a few of the massive variety of creatures that live in the coral reefs. There are urchins, sponges, crabs, eels and literally thousands of others. It is the richest place of biodiversity. In fact, â€Å"Guam hosts over 3. 500 species of plants and animals, including 200 different types of corals. † (Teach Ocean Science, ret. June 14, 2013). In addition to theses kinds of plants and animals, there are also microorganisms that call the coral reef home. Coral reefs don't only benefit animals and plants, but they also benefit humans. They are one of the oldest ecosystems on our planet and one of the most beautiful. One way they benefit humans is due to their beauty. Areas with coral reefs bring tourism. This tourism supports local communities, creating jobs for local inhabitants. Visitors come to dive, snorkel, fish and enjoy the coral. These jobs help support the infrastructure of the community and build a strong economy. The economic value of many of the reefs individually are in excess of hundreds of millions of dollars, some over $1 billion each year. More importantly, there are many plants and animals that help us in the creation of new medicines and perfecting ones we already have. Medicines that have been developed or are being developed from the coral reefs include treatments for heart disease, cancer, arthritis, viruses just to name a few. More obvious than the previously mentioned benefits, coral reefs provide an abundance of fish and other sea life that helps populate the oceans for fishing. This also benefits humans. Fisheries are important for recreation as well as a trade to provide food. Also, as the name implies, coral reefs are a natural buffer between the ocean and the land. This helps prevent property damage, soil erosion, and protects people from storms. Nearby communities depend on the coral reefs for their well-being. Even though humans depend on the coral reef in so many ways, we are unfortunately slowly losing them. These natural beauties are disappearing at a faster and faster rate. The biggest threat is humans themselves. Healthy coral reefs need clean water but people are polluting these waters causing significant harm to the reefs. Fertilizers, soil, pesticides and even sewage is put into the water. These things make the water unhealthy for corals, smother the reef and make it more likely the will get diseases. Pollution is a major threat. Humans also often have destructive fishing practices. They use explosives to fish or bang on the reef with large sticks as well as bottom-trawling. In addition to these destructive practices, humans have been overfishing which upsets the natural balance of the ecosystem of the reef. The food chain is then so out of balance that the effects are not only the direct fish population but the entire ocean and beyond. Humans are not the only threats to coral reefs. Natural disasters can also harm the reefs. Hurricanes and other storms can cause damage as well. Global warming is also a threat. Corals will only survive in a certain water temperature and global warming has caused damage by elevating the levels of coral bleaching. When the reef is already unhealthy it is difficult for it to improve such a disaster. One way our own government has started to help protect the coral reef is by developing the U. S. Coral Reef Task Force. â€Å"On June 11, 1998, President Clinton issued Executive Order 13089 on Coral Reef Protection. † (EPA, Ret. June 10, 2013). This task force was charge with the duties of mapping and monitoring the US coral reefs, conducting research to identify major causes and consequences of the decline of the reefs and with developing ways to restore the damaged reefs and prevent further damage. Governments have set up Preservation Zones to focus on the cost of human impact to the coral reefs and how to maintain the reefs. Each of us can help protect the coral reef. Be sure to clean up after yourself when you go to the beach. It sounds simple, and it is but many people don't follow this advice. If you go to the area, be sure not to touch the coral. Take care of it. Leave shells and other creatures where they are. The food chain is a delicate balance and we should not do anything, no matter how small it might seem, to upset that balance. If you fish, catch only what you will eat. Throw small fish back to reproduce and the largest because they lay the most eggs. And if you don't fish, eat only the species of fish that are on the sustainable seafood list. Even if you are not in the area, you can reduce the amount of freshwater you use, develop habits that reduce the amount of greenhouse gases we produce like using too much electricity or driving a lot. Recycle more, including reusing items. Basically reducing our carbon footprint helps our coral reefs. Coral reefs are a vital resource in our environment. They are home to an extremely diverse population that is necessary to all life on earth. Humans have come to depend on this ecosystem for numerous things yet we still see the coral reefs disappearing quickly. But this sensitive ecosystem is depending on us was well. We each can do our part by minimizing our own carbon footprint but so much damage has already been done that this alone is not enough. Humans must get involved and be proactive to save this valuable resource before it's too late.Sources:Ruppert, EE and Barnes, RD, 1994, Invertebrate Zoology, 6th Edition, Saunders College Publishing, Philadelphia â€Å"What lives on a coral reef?†, Teach Ocean Science, http://www.teachoceanscience.net/teaching_resources/education_modules/coral_reefs_and_climate_change/what_lives_on_a_coral_reef/, retrieved June 14, 2013. Water: Habitat Protection, EPA, http://water.epa.gov/type/oceb/habitat/taskforce.cfm, Retrieved June 10, 2013. Birkeland, C. (1997). Introduction. In Life and Death of Coral Reefs. Birkeland, C. (ed.). Chapman and Hall, New York. Achituv, Y. ; Dubinsky, Z. (1990). Evolution and Zoogeography of Coral Reefs. In Ecosystems of the World: 25 Coral Reefs. Dubinsky, Z. (ed.). Elsevier, New York.

Saving Sahelo-Saharan Antelope essays

Saving Sahelo-Saharan Antelope essays 1. The Sahara desert covers an area larger than the lower 48 states and at over 3100 miles wide it is a little wider than the furthest distance between Maine and California. From west to east it stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea and from north to south from the Atlas Mountains of Morocco and the Mediterranean Sea to the Sahel. 2. The hottest temperature ever recorded was136F at AlAzizyah in Libya. 3. Daily temperatures can range from 23F (-5C) to 122F (+50C). 4. The hottest temperature I have ever been exposed to was in Las Vegas, Nevada where it was 117F. 5. The Sahara and the Sahel support at least 1660 species of plants. 220 of which are found nowhere else. Among the fauna there are some 221 species of mammals. They can live for months and probably for years, without drinking water. They selectively feed on plants with high water content. They are capable of allowing their body temperatures to rise higher than most mammal species before physiological cooling mechanisms kick in, helping to conserver water. Presumably, they are even capable of sensing distant rainfall and therefore new plant growth. They are also keystone species in the maintenance of biodiversity. They are effective seed dispersers. 7. Five threats to these species are that they are (1) an exploitable source of meat and leather, they (2) have played a major role in the culture of the people of the region, they (3) severe habitat loss, (4) competition with domestic livestock, and are (5) over hunted especially by foreign hunters. 8. Ten species of animals that are native to the Sahara Desert are the (1) ostrich, (2) desert hedgehog, (3) barbary sheep, (4) oryx, (5) gazelle, (6) cheetah, (7) wild ass, (8) baboon, (9) hyena, (10) jackal. Ostrich The ostrich is the fastest creature on two legs. Ostriches have very powerful legs which they use for running up to 40 mph, or for kicking pre...

Tyranny In The Lord of the Fli essays

Tyranny In The Lord of the Fli essays The ancient Greeks are well known for many things, including art, poetry, mathematics and most important mythology. When most people here mythology the automatically think that Greek mythology and Roman mythology are the same thing. There not the same thing the Greek people where a peaceful and unique bunch of people. The Greeks believed that as long as a person obeyed the laws they where free to pursue there dreams. Greek people where a very religious group. People believed in gods and goddesses. These gods represented the daily aspects of geek life. The people loved there gods so much that temples where built for theses gods. Temples where made of marble, granite and limestone. Greek myths are all that is left of ancient Greece. About twelve thousand b.c residents of Greece and parts of Asia all believed in one common group of deities that came to be known as Olympians. Greek mythology goes way back in time. This period was known as the classical Greece. These stories behind the myths are so old that they where not written into text until much later. The most widely followed myths where of the Olympians. Olympians where descended from the primal self-created gods, begging with Kaos. The king of gods Zeus rules the Olympians. He is the strongest of the gods. Without him the other gods would not have been freed from their father Kronos. They Olympians are not they only immortals theyre a small portion of family that rule the earth and the sky. There bodies which are the rivers, mountains and forces of nature must be shown proper respect if a person whishes for a safe trip. The oldest myths can be traced back to men known as homer, Hesiod. That means that by the time these stories where written down. They had served years of additions and retellings. These stories that exist today are know as they authentic. Theyre where six Olympians there were Zeus, Hestia, Hera, Demeter, Poseidon and Hades. ...

Contributions of Civil rights Movement in post-world war America to Essay

Contributions of Civil rights Movement in post-world war America to the Political and Social Development of the United States - Essay Example The paper tells that following the civil war, the thirteenth amendment eradicated slavery and the blacks gained their freedom. The freed blacks were mostly illiterate and were property or money bereft. In the south where there was slavery predominance, inequality and racism were rampant. The state and federal governments facilitated many democratic reforms in the 1860s and 1870s to support black assimilation into the white people. The 14th amendment guaranteed the blacks equal rights which were federally protected. The 15th amendment provided approval rights for every black man to vote. Throughout the construction era, new found rights were short lived. The southern whites employed various means to bar the blacks from enjoying any citizenship benefits. They kept the blacks totally disenfranchised through intimidation and harassment. A Cold War rose up in America as the World War II came to an end. Momentous changes in America pertinent to nationalization emerged. The changes enhanced support for an emergent Civil Rights Movement that chiefly aimed at doing away with southern segregation rules and overturning the 1896 ramifications of the Plessy vs. Ferguson case at the Supreme Court. Both the congress and the court in 1954 affirmed what individuals like Martin Luther King were preaching to both white Americans and the black. The black Americans had courageously served in the Second World War which was celebrated for its outstanding contributions even though segregation still continued in the armed forces. While the black Americans were roughly 10% of the whole population, they were approximately 11% of all registered in the military service. American Civil rights were strongly aided by the augmentation of Liberal Democrats in the northern part of America that were firmly in desegregation support (Cashman 82). On the other hand, Republicans were moving towards the southern part where segregation took the fore front. The â€Å"I have a Dream† words of Mart in Luther King Junior at the nation’s capital were probed up by the civil rights words. In collaboration with other black activists, they were main partakers in the Civil Rights Movement. In the first place, this movement was to abolish slavery and weighty intimidations and harassments of the black. Segregation in the communal schools was not constitutional. Earl Warren the chief justice presented the separate but equal decision by the court was a violation of the Africa American’s rights. An incident that attracted the public eye was unfolded in Montgomery where there was segregation of the black Africans at the buses. The blacks were to reserve seats for the whites whenever the whites have filled the front seats. This law was defied by Park who was a black and was later arrested. The black community responded to the arrest by a one day boycott of the public buses of Montgomery. A lead massive movement organized by preacher Martin King Luther Jr., NAACP and other Afri can leaders challenged the racist laws of Montgomery. The boycotts went on for more than one year despite harassment and taunting from the white community. The federal courts then intervened by desegregating the buses on 21st December the year 1956. As the pace quickened, the blacks made an effort to attentively pass an Act of Civil Rights that would enforce other rights including voting rights. The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee i.e. SNCC was formed by the black

Professional Development Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Professional Development Plan - Essay Example Different determinants have contributed to my improvement of time management skills (Forsyth, 2013). Being in a time controlled facility is one of the motivating factors. Classes are allocated precise time frames where one has to comprehend all that is planned for by the lecturer. Additionally, consultation hours by the lecturers are set during specific sessions when he/she is available. Without a proper timetable, one can easily miss the lecturers appointments leading to deterioration of performances in the subject. The attained skills will also help in both academic and business fields. My undergraduate has been an eye opener providing knowledge on the importance of time management. Firstly, it will help me meet other personal set goals. A suitable timetable will help me make time for all my goals presenting them with appropriate periods to ensure equity. Personally, it will also enhance my self-confidence by reducing time related stresses. Most of these stresses include late presentation of assignments and attendance of classes. It will also provide me with more free time that I can use in research or work. Time management lets an individual to venture in productive activities while learning. It also assists resource control and monitoring. Planning – one has to make a plan that caters for all the activities that need to be accomplished (Forsyth, 2013). It will help me help me identify and separate school work from other activities that may come up during free time. Planning will aid in the setting of personal ambitions that will contribute to my studies. Assessing – it will review how I am currently using my time hence exposes areas that need changes or improvement. Assessing also provides information of the current trends such as school timetables. I have to set my timetable depending on constant schedules. Prioritizing – leads to allocation of time