Linking Science and Social Issues

Why is This Course an Emerging SENCER Model?

The SENCER ideals focus on connecting science with civic engagement by teaching "through" complex, contested, capacious, current and unresolved public issues "to" basic science. Presently there is arguably no greater complex, capacious and current unresolved public issue than obesity. At its heart obesity focuses on energy imbalance in the human organism. The basic science related to energy metabolism, while generally well understood in the broader sense, continues to be the focus of scientific research around the world. Understanding metabolic pathways and the sources of, use for, and storage of energy, however, is simply scratching the surface of the problem of obesity. "Energy in" is defined simply as what and how much we eat, it must be understood in the context of when we eat, and most importantly, why we eat. "Energy out" is what we use to maintain vital functions like breathing, blood circulation and movement. A severe or long-term imbalance between energy in and energy out creates an obesity problem and that problem is inextricably tied a myriad of physiological, sociological, psychological, cultural, and economic factors that impact the whole of society and not simply the individual.

The topic of obesity represents an opportunity to explore science from a multidisciplinary standpoint and both the advantages and the limitations of purely scientific approaches in addressing this problem are evident when on considers the physiological and psychological causes and consequences of obesity. The contested issues that surround how we choose to live our lives and what our appearance says about our societal worth are questions of deep interest to students and foster student engagement within the classroom and in the broader community.

Obesity is not simply an American problem, it represents a global epidemic. The prevalence of overweight and obesity is increasing worldwide at an alarming rate in both underdeveloped and developed countries. Modernization, urbanization, and economic development have resulted in environmental and behavioral changes that are linked to the rise in global obesity in adults and children. Present statistics indicate that approximately 15 % of adolescents (12 to 19) and children (6 to 11) are obese. Compare those percentages to 1976-1980 (5% and 7%, respectively) and it is quite clear that we are in the midst of an epidemic that has the potential for far-reaching and devastating consequences for humankind...

What are the Civic Questions Addressed in the Course?

The civic engagement questions addressed in this course dealt how to handle the public health crisis that our nation, and now increasingly many others in the world, are facing. Obesity was the central theme for our course, but cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and depression, which are directly linked to obesity, were also addressed. In essence, the importance of individual health for societal well-being, and ultimately, global health, was emphasized, but it also foregrounds the question of the dividing line between individual and societal responsibility. That is, each individual is in control of the choices they make that affect their health, but when the individual is placed in a "toxic" environment that actually inhibits individual choice and control over eating, what society action is theoretically possible to reverse the public health trends that we are facing? What should be the government's role in regulating that environment?

No matter what one's position is on government regulation, however, we are all concerned with the well being of our children. We have found that childhood obesity is a useful topic for ideological differences and finding common ground. Students displayed an insightful awareness of the complexities of the issues surrounding childhood obesity - an understanding that aided by the examination of the ethical requirements of governmental food industry regulation, as well as address how and why it is that an system of food production, sale, and consumption that promotes obesity and other health "imbalances" is allowed to grow.

What is STEM Content Covered and How is it Linked to the Civic Content?

The science required to understand obesity includes biochemistry of food (calories, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, cholesterol, macro, and micro-nutrients); the biology of energy metabolism (intake, storage, endocrinology, digestion, metabolic expenditure); physiology (exercise, body mass, anthropometrics); mathematics (percentages, conversion rates, statistics).

Civic and social issues raised by obesity include body image, behavior, eating disorders, and the economic cost of obesity in terms of public health risks (diabetes, hypertension); the sociology of obesity and overweight (stigma, consumer choices, marketing, employability), policy questions (government policies, food industry practices.

This course is team taught by experts in biology, nutrition, psychology, occupational therapy and physical therapy and the integration of the science and civic content occurs throughout the lectures and laboratory assignments. The semester-long research project (Make a Difference) allows students to collect scientific data on the individual children and analyze that data in the context of their eating and activity patterns, as well as the cultural and environmental factors that affect the children's eating decisions.

The potential to teach science content through the issue of obesity is great. Possibilities include:

Natural and Physical Science - General biology, anatomy & physiology, biochemistry, chemistry, and physics (thermodynamics) can be successfully unified in this course. Principles of environmental science can also be incorporated. In essence, this is a "nutrition science" course - which is unique field of study that incorporates all of the above, along with sociology, psychology, and education theory. Along with nutrition science, exercise physiology is an area that should be specifically addressed in this course as well. Clearly, this course can be taught as rigorously as desired. Students need a strong understanding of the basic principles of the above sciences to fully grasp the civic issues at hand: the impact of the environment (and the chemicals within) on individual wellness, and the impact of individual well being on global health.

Technology- Technology can be examined with respect as to whether it is exasperating the obesity problem or helping to mitigate it. Technology can make us more sedentary, but it can also allow us to telecommute, enabling us to avoid long drives to work, and ultimately free up time for physical activity. Technological discussion can also be incorporated into this course within the realm of public health mass communications. That is, how best can the wellness message efficiently and effectively be delivered to the masses? How can we engage and educate children about the issues of health and well being? How can we use available and economical technology to engage the public? Web site development, interactive computer software design, nutrition database development, etc. could effectively be incorporated in this course.

Engineering - Engineering principles could be discussed throughout this course, from the overall impact of obesity on the design of new automobiles, furniture, medical examination tables, etc, to the effects of heavy and imbalanced tissue masses on the human skeleton can be explored. Also, the need of raising the importance of designing communities that promotes physical activity as much as possible should be discussed. To fully address the health crisis at hand and the importance of a healthy society for prosperity, one would definitely need to address the needed infrastructures to support wellness. Therefore, civil engineering, etc. instruction would be pertinent in such a course.

Math - Mathematics is essential in any science course, and this is especially true here in a course that aims to fully demonstrate the civic health
issue at hand. Students were required to economically "crunch" numbers, use percentages, and calculate rates. They utilized formulates to calculate Resting Metabolic Expenditure, Body Mass Index, Daily Caloric Requirement, Recommended Daily (Nutrient) Values, and caloric/nutrient content of selected foods. Basic statistical principles can also be explored as thoroughly as desired.