Lillian Guzman

Ms Alcaraz, Per 6

Non Fiction Response: Science and Obesity

1. A study was conducted to make a connection between weight and intelligence. It was

found that children who were overweight in their first two years of life perform poorly on

cognitive tests.

2. I can make a connection between another article I read about childhood obesity. The

article said that childhood obesity was a growing problem in the US.

3. The author’s purpose is to inform their readers on childhood obesity. I know this because

studies are constantly being mentioned.

4. The audience is most likely parents of toddlers. I know because the article focuses mainly

on toddlers’ weight. The choice of audience reduces the amount of scientific jargon in the

article.

5. The most relevant details are previous studies.

6. Logos is the most prevalent in the writing.

a. “By measuring weight status with a weight-for-height score, which is recommended

by the World Health Organization, Li and Braun's study avoided problems

associated with previous studies that tracked rapid growth or weight gain…”

(Brown University).

b. “Obesity, which can dysregulate hormones that act in multiple brain regions, is

associated with lower cognition in adults, the researchers said,” (Brown University).
 c. ​“In addition to being measured for weight and height in the first two years of life,

each child was followed over time via home visits by trained staff,” (Brown

University).

d. The author exercises their credibility by analyzing the findings of other tests.

7. The three previous quotes indicate that a possible theme for the text is ‘it is always

important to get a head start’.

8. This text used studies and evidence to help me understand the topic.

9. I would not give a summary, if I could change anything. It would give the reader a reason to

read the article thoroughly. It wouldn’t change the meaning of the text.

10. OPTION 2: Parents should make sure that their babies are always healthy. Babies should

be healthy so that they do not lag behind other children. This is seen when the author states,

“Obesity, which can dysregulate hormones that act in multiple brain regions, is associated

with lower cognition in adults, the researchers said,” (Brown University). This shows that

there is a relationship between overweight children and low cognitive test results. Because

low cognition is a result of being overweight as an infant, parents should monitor their

babies’ health.