Andrew Karam

Connie Douglas
UWRT
November 18, 2014
Ethnography
On Wednesday, October 29th, a local favorite dining hall on the University of North
Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC), Crown, was observed. The observations were made at a prime
time of traffic, noon. Going at a dense time allowed recording a healthy amount of information.
The observation was made at a table that had a good birds eye view of the room and lasted for
an hour. At first, the ethnicities of people and their sex were observed. Also, their gender and
how they communicated with each other was noticed. There were also groups of people who
shared the same ethnicity or race. Generally people who were foreign were speaking their
native language to one another. People would pull chairs from other tables and sit together and
talk. Many people were working on work together. The groups had their backpacks and laptops
out presumably working on homework for an upcoming class. However, there were quite a few
people who were sitting alone with their laptops up typing away. It was interesting to see a
multitude of social groups in the immediate vicinity.
The next observation consisted of the workers behind the grill or bar. Due to the close
proximity of main course grill, a good view of the actions of the workers could be recorded.
Many workers used hand gestures to communicate. Instead of speaking, they would point out

what to make or where to go. Usually the older looking members would do use hand gestures
to the younger workers who were buried away in the kitchen. The rare instance that words
were exchanged was when workers asked the orders of the students. A simple and swift what
would you like today? and response were the extent of conversation between students and
staff. However, the words spoken to others employees when making the food caught my
attention as well. They would use a condensed version of what was ordered. An assumption
was made that the condensed phrases were to keep simplicity and cut down on time as the
workers hurried away at making the order. The language between workers was informal and
friendly at best.
The next aspect of the time spent on the observation was the diet of students in the
dining hall. Since the grill and the workers there were being watched, the types of foods being
observed became the next aspect of the observation. A quick look around the room revealed
the foods that were on students plates. However, there was a lack of healthy food on their
plates. Foods; such as, patty melts, burgers, fries, pizza, and other greasy items dominated the
plates of students. The salad bar had a few people customizing their own salad, but the lines of
the grill would extend to the entrance of Crown. Looking around, very few people had salads on
their plates. Most of the people who were getting salads were generally women. Thus, a
conclusion was made that if a young audience were given the option between fatty foods and
healthy foods, a majority of them will pick the unhealthy food.
The observations that took place allowed a conclusion to be made that teens generally
eat unhealthy foods. Although efforts were made to sway students to healthier options,

students continued to eat from the greasy grill. Obesity in America is an issue that should not
be overlooked with over fifty percent of men are overweight and sixty percent of females are
overweight (Carmen). Students often pick unhealthy choices due to the accessibility of fatty
foods. Students do not have a parent or guardian to dictate their diet; therefore, students will
have freedom to make their own choices on what to eat.
Cafeterias will often serve more unhealthy foods due to the popularity. Schools have
made an effort to put a heavy emphasis on eating healthy. For example, posters of eating green
were plastered everywhere inside of the living centers. Since the dormitories house the bulk of
students attending college, the posters would have a large audience. However, these efforts
are considered to be a failure by many of the schools program (Power). Recent studies have
shown that teens that do not eat healthy yield poor performance in class, anxiety, trouble
sleeping, and diabetes. Therefore, a healthy diet can contribute to a healthier lifestyle and
better performance in the academic side of college life (Bratsis).
The causes of obesity are complex and include genetic, biological, behavioral and
cultural factors. Obesity occurs when a person eats more calories than the body burns. If one
parent is obese, there is a fifty percent chance that their children will also be obese. However,
when both parents are obese, their children have an eighty percent chance of being obese.
Although certain medical disorders can cause obesity, less than one percent of all obesity is
caused by physical problems. Obesity can be caused by poor eating habits, lack of exercise,
stressful life events and low self-esteem. Being in a college setting can only increase these
causes of unhealthy eating (AACAP). Work induced by college courses can lead to stress and

depression. Accessibility to dining halls that serve unhealthy foods can contribute to poor
eating habits. Studies found that 95 percent of college students don't eat the recommended
amount of fruit and vegetables (at least five servings a day), and more than 60 percent don't
get the recommended levels of weekly physical activity. Laziness, a problem that many college
students have, can lead to a lack of exercise.
Unhealthy eating frequently becomes a lifelong issue. The reason most overweight
teens gain back their lost pounds is that they tend to go back to old habits such as excessively
eating unhealthy foods and lack of motivation. An overweight teen must therefore learn to eat
and enjoy healthy foods in moderate amounts and to exercise regularly to maintain a desired
weight (AACAP). Motivation through ones self or others can lead to the loss of weight. Since
students are generally young and have a high metabolism, losing weight tends to be easier.
In conclusion, teens face the reality that eating unhealthy will have an effect on their
body. Encouraging healthy choices and exercise are the only remedies to the poor diet of
college students.

Bratsis, Michael E. "Fight Obesity In The Classroom." Science Teacher 79.6 (2012): 6869. Academic Search Complete. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.
Prez Rodrigo, Carmen. "Current Mapping Of Obesity." Nutricion Hospitalaria 28.(2013): 2131. Academic Search Complete. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.
Power, Thomas G., et al. "Obesity Prevention In Early Adolescence: Student, Parent, And
Teacher Views." Journal Of School Health80.1 (2010): 13-19. Academic Search Complete.
Web. 11 Nov. 2014.
"Obesity in Children and Teens." AACAP. American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry,
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