Previously Conducted Study

Our statistical survey hopes to find an association between grade level and health conscientiousness; the category of grade level was chosen out of convenience for our desired population of high school students. An increase of grade level allows for quicker sampling and is used to hopefully indicate increased age and maturity. A British psychology society conducted statistical analysis on a similar topic. The British psychologist surveyed 345 adults in the United Kingdom and used six criteria that they felt correlated with health awareness. The abstract from the study is careful not to conclude any of their findings as finite, but the observations they collected indicated a positive correlation between age and health conscientiousness. The psychologist found that an increase in age correlates with an increase in discipline in most aspects of the person’s life, including their personal health. The psychologist are cautious to interpret their findings because there can be so many latent or extraneous variables that would affect the survey, especially since the survey was conducted over the internet. The slope of the psychologist's regression line for age and perceived discipline was 0.27, showing a weak but present correlation. Without putting much weight behind the study, it seems to match our hypothesis that as grade level increases, health conscientiousness will increase.

Teenage Health

Information
regarding teenagers’ awareness concerning healthy lifestyle choices implies that teens are trying to make beneficial choices, but may be suffering from misinformation. Teenage boys go through rapid growth periods during puberty, and therefore need increased nutrition and caloric consumption to maintain a healthy weight and metabolism. Teenage boys’ appetites increase dramatically and they assume that just eating in more quantity will generate more muscle. More and more teenagers are working out, but they replace their nutrition with bulk consumption of mostly fast food, which is high in fat and sodium. On the other end of the spectrum, teenage girls believe that simply eating less will keep them slim, but it may not.

Sleeping Habits

Also, studies show that melatonin levels change for teenager; melatonin is a hormone produced in the brain that helps control a person’s internal clock. The melatonin in a teenager is produced later in the day making it difficult to fall asleep earlier in the night, but a teenager still must maintain a schedule which starts early in the day. The combination of hormones and a schedule created by adults causes a lack of sleep.

Predictions

According to research conducted and our current hypothesis, we expect to see the category of above average health conscientiousness increase with grade level, and the category of below average conscientiousness decrease as age level increases. The average category should remain relatively stable throughout all the grade levels, as it is assumed most teenagers are aware of the recommended levels of sleep, nutrition, and exercise. The recommended levels of all the categories are described on the survey so students can have a more standardized response. As students become more responsible, they should become more aware of their personal health decisions.