Guideline for a Problem-Solution Paper Elements (Usually, itis advisable to give both the problem and solution equal attention. There may be instances when this is not necessary or desirable, but in general both should be addressed thoroughly.) Introduction: The problem topic is presented, e.g., obesity, teen-age suicide, distracted driving, A context is provided: Obesi opularity of American fast food, oversized portions, salt, sugar, and fat. Teen suicide: Teens struggle to find an identity, need to become part of a group, are vulnerable to self-doubt, peer pressure, cyber-bullying. They may fear the future or feel stress from school and tests, * Distracted driving: Explosion of technology devices that tempt drivers to use them—phones, texting, g.p.s. Problem Statement: In powerful words—though not oratorical (emotional, inspirational)—the problem is presented, using statistical data, examples, anecdotes: 2. 4s * Scope: Incidence, i.e., how many people, what percentage of the population, how much overweight, comparison with situation in the past. Health consequences of obesity: cardiopulmonary disease, diabetes, arthritis, cancer. Psychological consequences: low self- esteem, low activity, isolation. Economic consequences: reduced productivity, absenteeism from work, medical and insurance costs ‘* Scope: Number of suicides annually; comparison with the past; location. Consequences: Teens lead miserable lives, then lose their lives. Schools are traum: are never recovered from. Anecdote (a story about a particular suicide) ‘* Scope: number of accidents/deaths from distracted driving. Increase in devices used. Explanation of how little distraction it takes to become an impaired driver, for example, changing a radio dial or looking at a g.p.s. may take driver attention from the road long enough for a serious misjudgment. Solution Statement: In clear, objective language propose a solution to the problem. Avoid if you can the too-easy solution of public education or awareness-raising campaign. ‘Those have been shown not to work, perhaps as often as not. Students who go immediately to the public awareness solution don’t spend enough time considering other solutions. 2. i © Incentives: higher insurance rates; salary bonuses for weight loss or weight maintenance or participation in exercise regimen. Legal: taxes on sugars, salt, fat (not sure that’s feasible); requirements for advertisers to list nutritional benefits and deficits in advertising food as pharmaceutical companies must do; prohibition on vending machines in schools; government required physical education (exercise) in school. Lifestyle: increased activity, lower caloric intake. Pharmaceutical: possibly—the history of diet drugs in the U.S. is negative. * Parental and teacher vigilance; laws and limitations of eyber-bullying (this is a faddish topic right now, and I shouldn’t include it here; it’s almost as facile as “public awareness”). Parents ized. Families suffer tragedies thatand educators should provide socially integrative programming for children: sports, arts activities, interest groups, such as chess, gaming, music. © Stricter, more uniform laws against using tech devices while driving. Car design that does not allow or support use of technical devices. Useful devices, such as g.p.s., should be designed for hands-free, voice activated use. Feasibility: Persuade the audience that the proposed solution is a good one: Is it economically feasible; how much will it cost; how will it be paid for? Has it been tested and succeeded other places? Who are the people who can make it happen? If the specific solution is a new and untested idea, are there valid analogies giving the solution validity? For example, has pharmaceutical advertising including negative side effects shown a benefit that could be expected from similar food advertising; have adult suicides been reduced; have seatbelt fines worked? © Are there benchmarks in place—specific goals that can be measured on a timeline? Conclusion: Restate the problem, emphasizing the threat it poses, and the solution, emphasizing its feasibility.