Data Analysis

(This section needs the most editing. I should start off by including tables and charts of my survey data and of data from footage. Then I should conclude by stating that data collection is not yet complete, but underway.)

 

Abridged Procedure:

 

1. Develop a detailed survey that examines all factors that play into the food choice process. (The survey will inquire about factors such as hunger, appetite, taste, cost, income, availability, access, education, cooking skills, cooking amenities, culture, meal patterns, and family (16)) (Finalize survey by July 2020)
 

2. Connect with multiple organizations (churches such as Princeton United Methodist Church; Nassau Christian Center; Union Baptists Church; community centers such as the YMCA; and the YWCA)  in both communities to distribute my survey to a wide range of residents. (Start finding connections in the month of July 2020)

 

3. Collect purchasing data (over a month) from prominent grocery stores in both Trenton and Princeton. (I plan on contacting Aldi’s, McCaffreys, Stop and Shop, and Whole Food Princeton. If store managers are unwilling to share purchasing data with me, I will utilize food diaries to estimate the diets consumed by residents of both communities.)(Unsure due to Covid-19) (If I digitize my survey, It will be sent out and completed in the months of  July and August 2020) 

 

4. Perform a nutritional analysis using the USDA FoodData Central database to observe any significant differences in nutritional content between the two diets. (I plan on calculating the average consumption of dietary carbohydrates, dietary proteins, dietary fats, simple sugars, dietary cholesterol, calcium, and total calories per capita in both Princeton and Trenton) (If digitized, September-October 2020) 

 

5. I will be calculating means, standard deviations, and variance for variables such as the # of grams per capita of dietary carbohydrates, dietary proteins, dietary fats, simple sugars, dietary cholesterol, calcium, and total calories consumed in both communities daily.  (If digitized, September-October 2020) 

 

6. To analyze the influence of dietary variables on obesity and Type 2 Diabetes health outcomes, ANOVA tests will be performed. (19)(February 2021-)

 

I plan on collecting data on the food choice process in neighborhoods with different socioeconomic statuses through surveys and interviews. Additionally, I plan on sourcing published disease epidemiology data and food purchasing data in both Trenton and Princeton.  Survey data will be inserted on an excel file, and I will analyze this data using a comparative analysis method. Survey data will be put through statistical significance tests to statistically prove different food choice processes. I will analyze purchasing data through the USDA FoodData central database, which allows me to insert types of foods, and get access to nutritional information about these foods. Based on the results acquired from these nutritional analyses, I will use scientific inquiry/ reasoning to link the differing diets in the two communities to the different health outcomes in the two communities.