Questionnaire Design 1.

Im applying for a job with a market research organisation and I have been asked to develop a questionnaire as part of my portfolio. Im going to focus my research on students of Ballyfermot College. My hypothesis is Unhealthy Canteen food effects students consentration. The variable that we manipulate is called the independent variable in this case is the unhealthy canteen food and the dependent variable is the students whose concentration are effected by it. 2. This research is very important concerning college students.

Ballyfermot is the one college in particular that will be asked. Students are our main targets in this study because we find it essential to approach them; it can have an effect on their grades and assignments. Ballyfermot Colleges main building is an important college for this research because of where its situated. It is situated in the heart of the main street. Theres not much of a selection of places around where the students can eat. Except for a few shops, a caf that one must walk to, or a pub with a food menu, which will probably lead to the students drinking in between classes. There is also a canteen in the art building that serves hot food, which again would be a distance away for the students to walk especially if they have little time before classes. Instead there is a canteen within the college that does provide those students with food, but we want to find out from the students themselves how they feel about the types of food it supplies. Well also see from similar researches how they found the foods we eat effect our brain power and concentration. The first and most important thing, which people must realise, is that although our brain is only 2% of our weight, it uses up 20% of our oxygen intake. This is why the saying what's good for your heart is good for your brain rings true. You can't go wrong with arming your brain with all the energy and raw materials it needs. This will see you through a successful day. Praise for our ideas and creativity gives a fantastic feeling. Research has found that even what eat can cause depression which is known among many young adults especially when it comes down to the
Name: laura Mcglynn Class: Mgh1

pressures of meeting college deadlines and exam pressure. Students need to keep a healthy diet to make them feel good about themselves because the researches that we ware going to look at shows us how food even effects are mood on day to day basis. 3. There are good reasons why food affects your mood and brainpower.

Chemicals in the brain can be influenced by what we eat, which can lead to changes in the way we think, feel and behave. (A) Research carried out by the Food and Mood Project in England, supported by the mental health charity Mind, has shown that a change of diet can significantly improve a persons mental health. This can include reducing the likelihood of panic attacks, mood swings, and anxiety or depression. Mood food Alcohol, caffeine, sugar, chocolate, cakes, biscuits, cheese and bread are the most common types of foods that cause low moods. Sugar is a known major cause of altering mood as it gives your blood an instant sugar rush. This is followed by a drop in mood and energy an hour or so later, which can lead to poor concentration, anxiety, irritability, aggression, tiredness and depression. The Glycaemic Index (GI) is a numerical system that tells you how fast a particular food causes a rise in your blood sugar levels. A food with a high GI will produce a sudden rush in blood sugar while a food with a low GI will keep it more stable. Not getting enough vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids (Omega 3 oils) in your diet can have an effect on your mood too. Try to eat more oily fish, such as salmon, sardines and mackerel, which are high in omega 3 fatty acids and also help the brain function more efficiently. Serotonin is the brain chemicals, which can make you feel happy and relaxed. But it is also responsible for mood, sleep and controlling your appetite. White meat like turkey and chicken, and fish are mood-boosting foods that produce serotonin, which can be low in people who have depression. Foods also high
Name: laura Mcglynn Class: Mgh1

in vitamin B, such as bananas and avocados, can be beneficial to your mood as they convert an amino acid called tryptophen into serotonin. By eating these kinds of food you are helping your body produce more serotonin. Also, if you regularly exercise youll recognise the feel-good factor you get afterwards. This is due to a release of serotonin within your brain. Brain food Vitamins are essential in maintaining both physical and mental health. For example, iron deficiency, a common problem particularly among women, is linked to slowed mental ability and depression. It is essential that you get a wide variety of foods to fulfil your bodies vitamin needs. Other factors that can affect your brainpower are food intolerances or reactions to chemicals like food colourings and flavourings, for example E numbers Eating at regular intervals, not skipping breakfast, and getting enough sleep are good ways to boost your mental health. Choose foods that are digested slowly. Wholegrain rye bread, porridge, pasta, beans lentils, noodles and basmati rice are good choices and contain a low GI and are especially beneficial for those with diabetes. Apples, oranges, pears and peaches are other good options. What you drink also plays a part. Caffeine in coffee, tea and cola drinks can cause anxiety, depression and nervousness. Try cutting down and switching to water or fruit tea for every other drink during the day. (b) The Perils of Higher Ed by Stephen Kotler, an amreican study of college life. (College life can be downright detrimental. Sleep deprivation, a bad diet and binge drinking can lead you to memory loss, alcoholism and even Alzheimer's.) We go to college to learn, to soak up a dazzling array of information intended to prepare us for adult life. But college is not simply a data dump; it is also the end of parental supervision. For many students, that translates into four years
Name: laura Mcglynn Class: Mgh1

of late nights, pizza banquets and boozy weekends that start on Wednesday. And while we know that bad habits are detrimental to cognition in general think drunk drivingnew studies show that the undergrad urges to eat, drink and be merry have devastating effects on learning and memory. It turns out that the exact place we go to get an education may in fact be one of the worst possible environments in which to retain anything we've learned. Walk into any college cafeteria and you'll find a smorgasbord of French fries, greasy pizza, burgers, potato chips and the like. On top of that, McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's and other fast-food chains have been gobbling up campus real estate. With hectic schedules and skinny budgets, students find fast food an easy alternative. A Tufts University survey found that 50 percent of students eat too much fat, and 70 to 80 percent eat too much saturated fat. Normal human beings spend one-third of their lives asleep, but today's college students aren't normal. A survey of undergraduates and medical students at Stanford University found 80 percent of them qualified as sleepdeprived, and a poll taken by the National Sleep Foundation found that most young adults get only 6.8 hours a night. All-night cram fests may seem to be the only option when the end of the semester looms, but in fact getting sleepand a full dose of itmight be a better way to ace exams.

Name: laura Mcglynn Class: Mgh1

Questionnaire 1. Are you male or female? 2. Do you eat from your college canteen? 3. What kind of food would you eat from it? 4. The Canteen food is healthy. Strongly disagree 5. Food effects your concentration and mood swings. Strongly disagree 6. Nutritious food gives you more brainpower. True/False 7. Additives give you more energy. True/False Disagree Uncertain Agree Strongly agree Disagree Uncertain Agree Strongly agree

Name: laura Mcglynn Class: Mgh1

8. Foods with Omega 3 oil help you to concentrate. Yes/No 9. Your breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Strongly disagree 10. Processed food is not nutritious. Strongly disagree Disagree Uncertain Agree Strongly agree Disagree Uncertain Agree Strongly agree

11. Canteen food is better than restaurant food. Strongly disagree 12. Dark chocolate helps you study better. Yes/No 13. Drinking coffee gives you more energy than drinking water. True/False Disagree Uncertain Agree Strongly agree

14. Why don't you use the canteen services? (circle one): A. Its too expensive. B. Service is very bad. C. Dont have enough healthy food. D. The food quality is poor. E. Other (please explain): _______________

Name: laura Mcglynn Class: Mgh1

15. What types of food would you like to see being served? (Circle one) A. Vegetarian B. Curry Indian/Chinese C. Home made soup D. Fish E Other (please state) : _______________

16. What would make you use the Canteen? (Circle one) A. Better Value for your money B. Option of cold and hot food e.g. paninis C. Better service D. Variety of food E. Other (please explain): ______________

17. Why would you use the canteen before college? (Circle one) A. Good Healthy breakfast B. No other facilities around. C. More inclined to be on time for college D. Promotional offers e.g. free toast when you buy a cup of tea E. Other (please state): ____________

Name: laura Mcglynn Class: Mgh1

18. How would you rate the hygiene of the canteen? Excellent good bad poor

19. What foods do think is best to have before an exam A. Chocolate B. Fruit C. Pasta D. Coffee E. Other (please state)____________________

20. How much money would you spend a week in the canteen? A. 5 B. 10 C. 15 D. 20 or more

21. What percentage of students do you think use the canteen? A. 10% B. 20%

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C. 30% D. 50% percent or more

22. How often do you use the canteen? A. Once a day B. Twice a week C. Once a month D. Not at all

23. What percentage increase of students would use the canteen if food were served at a caf/restaurant standard? A. 10% B. 20% C. 30% D. 40%

24. What percentage of vegetarians uses the canteen? A. 5% B. 10% C. 15% D. 25%
Name: laura Mcglynn Class: Mgh1

25. Please place in order of preference what is important in the running of a canteen? __Good quality food __Good hygiene standards __Value for money __Good quality service 26. Place in order of preference of what foods to eat when doing an assignment? __Crisps __Mars bars __Oatmeal __Red meat

27. Place in order of preference what foods improve class performance __Tuna __Eggs __Bananas __Porridge 28. Give your own opinion of the canteen?

Name: laura Mcglynn Class: Mgh1

29.Are there improvements youd like to see being done in the canteen?

30. Do you have any other suggestions?

Bibliography A. Geary (2001), The food and mood handbook, Thorsons. I. Brace (2004), Questionnaire Design: How to Plan, Structure and Write Survey Material for Effective Market Research (Market Research in Practice Series), London: Kogan Page. L.C. Whitaker, (1989), Parental Concerns in College Student Mental Health, Philadelphia: Haworth press. M.J. Smith, (2006) The Smart Student's Guide to Healthy Dorm Living: How to Survive Stress, Late Nights, and the College Cafeteria, Paperback.

Name: laura Mcglynn Class: Mgh1

S. Kotler, (2005), The Perils of Higher Ed, Psychology Today Magazine, New York.

Name: laura Mcglynn Class: Mgh1