the soda intake at the school continues to increase.

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the soda intake at the school continues to increase. It is suggested that downsizing the cup size could help reduce the soda intake among the students.

Description of the Solution or Proposed Research The primary solution aimed towards the reduction of the student’s calorie intake involves

reducing g the size of the cups available at the dining halls. The rationale behind this solution is that with a smaller cup, smaller quantities of these soft drinks will be taken, which translates to lower calorie intake (O’Neill, & Ensle, 2006). It is almost next to impossible to stop students from taking sodas entirely, which makes this solution the most favorable. Often, students ensure that the finish the soda that they get in the cups at the dining hall since they would not throw it away and have it go to waste. Therefore, having the soda served in smaller cups is the best go-to option, as it will limit the amount of soda one can have at go. Moreover, the idea is not to completely deny the students the privilege of taking sodas, but instead, it is to ensure that they take a limited amount, preventing them from suffering from the myriad of health conditions resulting from high soda intake.

Portion control is one of the best solutions that are adopted towards tackling health problems such as obesity. It is already established that the students at this university have a high possibility of suffering from obesity due to regular soda intake. However, to prevent the problem from getting out of control, it is best to reduce the size of the cups that are available. Researchers have already established that making the default cup size for this drink that is high in sugar levels will help reduce the amount of calorie intake at a single time (Verghese, Lewis, & Fitzpatrick, 2012). Moreover, the strategy works best is the larger cups are eliminated from the dining halls, making it impossible for the students to have access to the big cups. Therefore, the Penn State Students will have no problem but to comply with the use of smaller cups.

Furthermore, taking a single serving of soda creates the notion that one has had enough and that their stomach is full. However, this idea is not restricted by the size of the cup because the student is still able to finish a large cup of soda. Therefore, with the smaller cups, the students will take one serving which creates the idea that they already hard enough soda and cannot take any more. Moreover, Penn State’s students find consuming one large cup of soda less shameful than drinking one small cup and going for an additional round. Downsizing the cup will help reduce the amount of soda taken alongside meals, by playing it the student’s psychology (O’Neill, & Ensle, 2006). Moreover, purchasing two small cups of soda will be more expensive than buying one big cup. However, the unavailability of the bug cup will force them to consume only one small cup. In addition, it is hoped that the smaller cups will discourage the students from taking the soda. Students often weigh their options when it comes to the meals that they have available. For example, if a larger cup is available for other drinks such as milk or coffee, then the students will find it more economical to consume the drink served in large cups rather than a small cup of soda.

Explanation of reasons According to Vartanian, Schwartz, & Brownell (2011), excessive soda consumption is

associated with weight increase problems. Sodas have a high concentration of sugar, which is turned into fat after consumption. Moreover, the liquid sugar found in the soda does not make them full, meaning that they must consume other foods alongside their soda. Therefore, at the end of a single meal, the students that take soda have 17% higher calorie intake than those that do not take soda. Research by CDC indicated that the youths between the age of 12 and 19 and young adults between 20 and 39 represent the highest calories intake from sugar drinks with

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males having a higher consumption than the females. In Penn State the majority of the population is aged between 10 and 34 years implying that the students who are in the middle of this age group are the highest soda drinkers.

Number Percent Total population 12,281,054 100.0

SEX AND AGE Male 5,929,663 48.3 Female 6,351,391 51.7 Under 5 years 727,804 5.9 5 to 9 years 827,945 6.7 10 to 14 years 863,849 7.0 15 to 19 years 850,986 6.9 20 to 24 years 746,086 6.1 25 to 34 years 1,560,486 12.7 35 to 44 years 1,948,076 15.9 45 to 54 years 1,705,032 13.9 55 to 59 years 619,969 5.0 60 to 64 years 511,656 4.2 65 to 74 years 969,272 7.9 75 to 84 years 712,326 5.8 85 years and over 237,567 1.9

The New York “soda ban” also have significant effect in reducing sugary drink consumption and helped people save tremendous amount of medical bill indirectly. The soda ban

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reduced 6 percent 18+ adults who consume 1 or more sugary drink per day to drink less. Since there is about 8.54 million people lives in the New York City, 6 percent of adults means about 250,000 adults saved money on their medical bill. These people will have a healthier body and they have less pressure in paying all kinds of bills. Furthermore, people who drink less carbonated soda will gain success in academic and career, because less sugar intake will decrease intensity of anxiety and impatient. A healthy body can accompany people to the mountain top, not diseased body.

Another effect of soda consumption to the health of these students is that it increases the risk of Type 2 diabetes. Soda causes insulin resistance, making it difficult for the glucose in the bloodstream to be released into the body cells. Therefore, the pancreas is forced to produce more insulin, increasing the levels of this chemical in the blood. The continuous insulin resistance arising from high levels of soda intake causes stress on the pancreas, which makes it difficult to the pancreas to continue supplying the blood with insulin. Moreover, there is a high likelihood that the students are Penn State suffer from metabolic syndrome. The condition results from a change in the metabolic activity if the body, such as insulin release, usually arising from high sugar levels in the body. Deficiency of insulin in the bloodstream is said to be a stepping-stone toward the development type 2 diabetes (Malik, et al., 2010). What is more, is that the metabolic syndrome could also result in other problems such as heart failure if the students do not take caution and reduce their consumption of soda.

The dental health of Penn State’s students is also negatively affected by soda consumption. One of the effects is the erosion of the dental enamel. Research shows that soda has a high acid level, with a pH averaging at 2.5 (Daniel et al., 2008). This acid corrodes the enamel, reducing its natural hardness. The second effect of the soda to teeth is that the acid also affects the dentin, as well as the composite filings. Many of the students at Penn State experience toothaches, which are a consequence of the damaged enamel from the soda intake. In worst cases, visible tooth decay may be experienced. The effect of soda on teeth mostly occurs because the students have a habit of taking more than one soda on a single day or one soda on a daily basis. They also prefer to sip the soda rather than take it quickly, which gives the soda more time to damage their teeth.