“Supersize Me” Conclusion/validity

The video “Supersize Me” was an incredibly interesting documentary. It brought out just how unhealthy fast-food restaurants can be. However, although these restaurants are so unhealthy, they are cheap and what do you know? Fast. Also, as cheap and unhealthy as the food of these fast-food restaurants is, sadly it is quite tasty and attracts millions of people every single day. In fact, internationally, McDonalds serves to forty-six million people every single day.

This documentary and experiment was set up very well, however it was not valid. “Supersize Me’s” star Morgan Spurlock’s problem statement was what would happen after McDonalds for every meal for thirty days? Furthermore, Spurlock maintained a control by being checked by three different doctors. All three of the doctor’s were in the same ballpark and agreed that Spurlock was of about as close to perfect health as you can get for a 6′2″ 185 pound 32 year old man. Spurlock’s independent variable was not eating anything but McDonald’s products for thirty days straight. His dependent variable was the effect of this one whole month of only McDonald’s on his nearly perfect health. The three doctor’s served as three different trials of information to compare his results to. Spurlock himself did not have a hypothesis, however the doctor’s knew that the result would be ugly. They predicted that spurlock wouldn’t be able to finish the month of only McDonalds and would become very ill. All of these components fitted together to form the experiment’s scientific process.

These essential parts to the experiment make it more valid. However, where the validity issues came in for many people including myself was that who in the right mind would eat McDonalds every single day. With exception to the crazy Big Mac man who has at least three a day, I can’t imagine someone eating from this “restaurant” every day and for every meal. After doing research, I found that indeed 7% of Americans eat McDonalds everyday. However, I think a more valid experiment would require more time.

For instance, an experiment I would use as a follow-up to Spurlock’s would be a test to show more of a long term effect on eating at McDonalds. If I was a scientist studying the effects of eating fast-food, one way I would possibly go about running this experiment would be to find two men of common age, height, weight, and healthy eating habits. Then I would have one of these men continue with their healthy eating, while the other man has McDonalds at least twice a week. This experiment would most definitely not be a thirty day thing. I would have these men take monthly checkups to three different doctors and make sure each went to the same people. Every month they would get checkups for five years. At the conclusion of this five-year study, I feel that people would have a more realistic view of the effects on McDonald’s in a diet then an unrealistic every day and every meal experiment. Whether there would be a huge difference in the two men or none at all, I have no idea but I think that it would be a way to increase the validity of the lab.