NuFS/HuP 163- Physical Fitness and Nutrition

CRITICAL EVALUATION OF

CONSUMER PRODUCT INFORMATION SHEET

Purpose of the Assignment

To evaluate a printed advertisement for a food, food supplement, exercise program, or exercise equipment in an effort to encourage the student to become a more critical consumer. The advertisement will be evaluated by comparing the claims made in the ad to scientific evidence and research findings.

Assignment Format

Page 1: Critical Evaluation of Consumer Products Grading Sheet

Page 2: Advertisement

Tape or glue the original advertisement to an 8.5 by 11 inch sheet of paper. Provide the source of the advertisement, giving title, page, and date of publication. Pick an advertisement that has some substance to it; the less the ad says, the harder it is to critique.

Please note: Original advertisements should not come from library sources !!

Pages 3, 4 (5, if necessary]: Evaluation

This section contains your evaluation of both the ad itself and the product advertised; it should be no longer than 2-3 pages. You should comment on the positive aspects (praise) and the negative aspects (criticism) of the ad. Your analysis should be in paragraph form and critical comments should be well developed. You should make limited use of quotations; references should be paraphrased. If you use quotes, statements must be in proper form (e.g., use quotation marks and cite page for quoted material). You must cite your references, using APA format, to support your statements. In the text of your paper, author & year should be indicated: (e.g., Maughan, 1995). For direct quotes, also include page numbers.

When critically evaluating the product [one page], consider the following questions, if appropriate, but do not limit your critique to only these questions only:

• Is the use of this product supported by scientific evidence? If so, are there any conflicting results among various studies? Do the subjects' age, health condition, fitness level, etc. match those for whom the ad is directed? Were there limitations and/or flaws in these studies?
• What, if any, contribution would the consumption of the product make to the nutrient intake, physique, or fitness level of the intended consumer?
• Could some less expensive product be used to obtain the same results?
• What hazards might be associated with the use of this product? Are there any conditions (e.g., medical, age-related) that would contraindicate the use of the product?

When critically evaluating the advertisement [one page], comment on the text, and use of color and graphics. You need to also consider the following questions:

• Who appears to be the intended consumer?
• Are the techniques used to draw the attention of the reader successful or not?
• Is the ad straightforward and factual?
• Is any important information omitted? (You may need to find the product at the market and read the label to determine this.)
• What, if any, gimmicks are used to sell the product? If gimmicks are used, are they successful?

Page 5 [6, if 3 pages of evaluation necessary]: References

• List the source of the advertisement, and
• alphabetically list the references used to support your evaluation.

You may use the course textbooks and, in addition, must use at least 3 other reliable (HIGH QUALITY) references to support your analysis. References need to be current (published within the last 10 years) and must be cited in the evaluation. Give the full publication information of each reference used, including author(s), title of article and journal or title of book, year of publication, volume or edition, and page number(s). The reference list should be completed in American Psychological Association (APA) format according to examples given below.

Journal Reference:

Maughan, R. J. (1995). Creatine supplementation and exercise performance. International

Journal of Sports Nutrition, 5(2), 94-101.

Book Reference:

Berning, J. R., & Steen, S. (1998). Nutrition for sport and exercise. Gaithersburg, MD: Aspen

Publishers.

Electronic Reference (see note of caution below):

Mack, G. W., & Bergeron, M. F. (May 30, 1997). Hydration and physical activity: Scientific

concepts and practical applications. [On-line]. Available: http://www.gssiweb.com/hydr.html

Quality of References:

Acceptable references include any reliable, professional, nutrition, physical education, sports medicine, or scientific journal or book. Unacceptable references include popular magazines (e.g., Runner's World, American Health, Prevention, Muscle and Fitness) or popular books (The Zone Diet, Fit for Life, 50 Ways to Stay Fit on a Busy Schedule, Total-Life Exercise Book). IF YOU ARE UNSURE OF THE RELIABILITY OF A REFERENCE, CHECK WITH YOUR INSTRUCTOR!

Refer to the syllabus for a partial list of acceptable periodicals and on-line resources.

Use of WWW pages: The World Wide Web (WWW) is an unmonitored, unrefereed source of information. Consequently, information may be accurate or inacurrate, and each page must be judged for accuracy and reliability. Authoritative web pages are written by individuals with appropriate credentials (e.g., Ph.D., R.D., M.D., etc.) and should cite references used to write the page. Pages that are sponsored or maintained by the seller of a product may be biased toward the product and should be read with this in mind. NOTE: If you use a web page as a reference, you must submit a hard copy of the page with your evaluation.

Form and Style Guidelines

Your paper must:

• be written in narrative, paragraph format
• be in a font size that is New York Times 12 point or similar size (easy to read)
• be typed, double spaced
• be left justified (but do not right justify); have 1 inch margins all around
• have numbered pages
• be submitted in a file folder with your name on the tab (do not use any other type of folder)