"How many serving of fruits and vegetable do you get daily?" I'm in a research class this semester and stumbled across a study that wondered if using the above question could determine success in education at the post high school level. It wasn't the original question used for their hypothesis, yet an interesting find secondary to their research. They found that the answer to "how many fruits/vegetables do you consume daily?" had a direct correlation to the grades/success they could expect to have in college and graduate school. Amazing! 0-1= considered unsuccessful 2 or fewer = high drop out rate 3-4 = moderately successful, may or may not complete the education 5-6 (recommended daily allowance)= high grades, completion As with any good research topic the questions posed bring up many more questions. In this case ...."why is it so?" came up. Was it due to differences in knowledge about the recommitted daily allowances? Or financial status? Or social ranking? The answer? No. All the participants were of the same socioeconomic background, ethnicity, age group, and educational background with comparable high school GPA's....and equal numbers of men and women were found to have the same outcome. So, they looked at the psychosocial aspect of the participants which was the largest variable. The hypothesis for the follow-up study (which has yet to be conducted) was that people who approach life willing to accept the known recommended standards of fruit/vegetable consumption for daily living were equally willing to accept the known recommended standards for sleep habits, exercise, and study skills that would make them successful at the post high school level. Who knows! It's just a hypothesis at this point, but if proven true....just think! Employers may add the question, "How many fruits and vegetables do you consume each day?" to the standard interview to determine habits they could expect from the person in the future. ahaha It makes me wonder about the spiritual aspects as well. I wonder if those willing to accept the known stated wisdom about our physical lives (ie= # of fruits/vegetables) are also those willing to accept the guidelines for living a healthy spiritual life. And vice versa....are those who disregard national recommended daily allowances of fruits/vegetables, also those who disregard known scriptural principles for living in sync with God? If you're already wondering who gets to decide how many fruits and vegetables I need then you may also be wondering who gets to write the "RDA of spiritual living"? (at least that was my first impulse! haha) -------------------------------------- I have to say....researching this topic was a fun sidetrack to the research I am suppose to be doing on the topic for my paper, "Effects of pulmonary rehabilitation in home health on fatigue, functional status, and health perception in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease." I got a bit distracted!! So.....back to the task at hand. I think I'll get an apple out of the fridge for a snack while I'm at it! |