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THE DIFFERENCE OF FAST FOOD CONSUMPTION BETWEEN THE USA AND KAZAKHSTAN

РАЗЛИЧИЕ В ПОТРЕБЛЕНИИ ФАСТ ФУДА В США И КАЗАХСТАНЕ

Оspanova N.A., Baigurmanova D.E.

Nazarbayev Intellectual School of chemistry-biology direction

Pavlodar, Kazakhstan



Introduction

Nowadays a lot of people lead the accelerated life. Regrettably, people don't have enough time for cooking; so, to economize time people have to visit fast food places. Indeed, this food is very convenient: fast, nourishing, tasty and not so expensive. The original purpose of fast food is efficiency increase and giving individuals a chance to quickly finish a meal.

The majority of people not only in Western countries, but in the Eastern ones as well eat unhealthy food every day not thinking about how disruptive it could be for our body. Therefore, the number of people who consume fast food has risen significantly as well during last 10 years. As stated in the website www.assamchronicle.com, the fast food industry in the United States generated approximately 191 billion U.S. dollars in 2013.

In recent times the number of fast food restaurant chains has increased significantly in my country - Kazakhstan. For example, according to Utemuratov Anuar who is the chairman of the board of directors of the direct investment fund Alassio Capital (http://www.kursiv.kz/news), fast food market comprises $250 million and this figure increases by 10-15% every year. It means that Kazakhstan is exposed to the impact of globalization and serious problems might arise in the nearest future.

I am afraid that this increasing tendency in fast food chains will affect negatively Kazakh nation. In addition, I used to consume fast food more than once a week but soon I felt myself bad and stopped consuming it at all. However, all my family members prefer eating hamburger or pizza rather than home-cooked food and as I suppose, they are not entirely aware of junk food's adverse effects.

Therefore, I chose this topic because I want to discover whether fast food might destroy our bodies or not and evaluate whether fast food consumption leads to serious problems. All these situations have pushed me to select exactly this topic for my research. I assume that nowadays my research could be relevant as majority of people prefer to eat in the neighboring fast food cafй than eat healthy food.

Context

According to the history, by the 1950s, the fast food industry boom was in full swing, fast food places had become popular dining stops among Americans. By the 1960s, the history of fast food added another important chapter when children's menus became a standardized part of some of the most popular restaurant chains and advertisers began to focus marketing efforts at children.

The first fast food restaurant in Kazakhstan was opened later: in 1991 the gala opening of Shaggie's cafй took place. Even the President of the Republic of

Kazakhstan took part in this event; it was a significant day for the whole country. Unfortunately, by the beginning of the 21^st century “Shagie's”, which belonged to the Korean entrepreneur, has lost its popularity among local people but the idea of fast food itself began to increase. For example, in 1999 in Almaty the first Kazakh cafй of fast food - Mc Burger - was opened.

According to Schlosser (2001), “the McDonald's Corporation has become a powerful symbol of America's service economy, which is now responsible for 90 percent of the country's new jobs… The fast food industry in America today serves the growing list of foods and cuisines offered at low prices to hungry patrons who can often dine in or take out. In 1968, McDonald's operated about one thousand restaurants. Today it has about twenty-eight thousand restaurants worldwide and opens almost two thousand new ones each year. Every fourth American consumes fast food every day and 43% from this number eat in McDonald's”. As reported by the article “Statistics and facts about the Fast Food Industry”, in 2013 there were more than 232 thousand fast food establishments in the U.S., employing over three and a half million people. Using this data we can evaluate the current situation in the USA. We notice that fast food industry in America is popular enough to be profitable.

According to the national statistics, nowadays there are approximately four thousands of fast food places in Kazakhstan. Almost all the famous brands are located in the big cities: Astana, Almaty, Shymkent and so on. In the towns like

Pavlodar there are only private local cafй: for instance, there is no KFC or McDonald's.

People all over the world should know about the consequences of fast food consumption. Firstly, all fast food meals contain trans fats which affect negatively our body. According to Heart Foundation Organization, trans fat is “a type of unsaturated fat that behaves like a saturated fat because of its chemical structure. Processed meat used by fast food industries can have 45% more trans fat than their natural counterparts” (Trans Fat, 2009). It raises our risk of heart diseases by increasing the “bad cholesterol”. Consuming fast food leads to a bigger consumption of cholesterol which is highly hazardous for humans. The cholesterol molecules attach themselves to the arteries which lead to their thickening or clogging. This can block the blood flow and lead to high blood pressure (10 Dangers Of Fast Food, 2011). So, trans fats can cause obstruction and lead to heart illnesses.

Secondly, obesity is the initial and common result of having fast food. As stated by Oliver, J. (2006), “It is said to afflict one in four Americans and kill as many as 400,000 of us every year… Surgeon General Richard Carmona says it's a greater threat than terrorism and former health and human services secretary Tommy Thompson has named it a public health `crisis'”. As a rule, we engage in sedentary work only. We do not do any physical activities and this way of living leads to obesity as a negative outcome from eating too much fast food. So, there is no way to burn that deposited fat. Following the predictions of Wang et al. (2008), the current US generation may have a shorter life expectancy than their parents if this obesity epidemic cannot be controlled: “For example, possible future changes such as earlier onset of obesity and complications in younger adults and availability of more costly health-care services may substantially increase related health-care costs”.

Lastly, we can notice the direct link between obesity and fast food consumption.

Thirdly, fast food preparation is connected with the usage of a large amount of sodium and other spices which prolongs the expiration date of products and can hide specific tastes of the used and spoilt meal. In addition to this, high amounts of sodium lead to hypertension and high blood pressure. Americans eat about 3,400 mg of sodium a day, more than the suggested by the Institute of Medicine 1500 mg of sodium per day. If you want to eat a hamburger you should be aware that the sodium level in your organism will increase.

In addition, studies have indicated that the expanding consumption of high fat fast food by children and adolescents may be a significant role in the increasing obesity (Paeratakul et al, 2003). In addition, I suppose that along with health problems leads to obesity personal problems especially among adolescents.

Therefore, I decided to make a research about fast food because in my home country the number of fast food places increased rapidly for the last ten years and consequences of this trend might be harmful for all individuals.

Aims

My main purpose is to compare the fast food industry in the United States of America and Kazakhstan. Also I am going to point out bad effects of fast food on the human's organism. I hope that my research will help educate people about fast food consumption in my country and prevent unintended consequences from the increase of it. In addition, my purpose is to conduct my own research by taking statistical data and survey results, which can help me to compare the situation in Kazakhstan and the USA, because if people consume too much fast food, then there is a probability that they will become obese or overweight. My research questions are:

• How negative is fast food for our bodies?

• What is the difference of fast food consumption between the USA and Kazakhstan?

• What is people's perception of fast food?

• Can we predict our future concerning fast food consumption?

The answers to these questions will help me to understand whether fast food chains pose a considerable threat not only to my country but to the whole world too.

Methods

This research work draws data from two types of sources. Primary sources include the Internet survey and personal interviews. Secondary source is literature which I have derived from the Internet.

During my research I will use qualitative and quantitative research methods. The Internet survey is mainly a quantitative method. Online poll questions will not take a lot of time; presumably, it will take no more than 5 minutes to complete the survey. I will distribute the survey among the students of NIS and public schools and adults too. My online survey consists of ten questions excluding demographics about people's opinions about fast food consumption in the USA and Kazakhstan and attitudes towards the major chains of fast food restaurants. However, the data gathered from the survey is not enough to draw a conclusion. Therefore, I have interviewed people who took my survey. The participants were given the consent form which aimed at protection of the anonymity and privacy of information they would share with me. It concerns ethical issues as it is important for the person who was interviewed to keep anonymity. Therefore, only I and my supervisor have an access to these interviews and the names of respondents. By signing them a consent form I provided ethical confidence for respondents that all they had said would be anonymous. So, during the interview I have asked questions about their perception of fast food and opinions concerning my research.

Anyway, I was faced with some difficulties. Firstly, it was problematic to find students who would agree to give an interview and there were a limited number of people who speak in English fluently. That is why I have translated my questions and asked them in Kazakh or Russian. Then I translated all the collected information in English. Secondly, it was hard for me to analyze answers of qualitative questions as I have spent on it a lot of time. These interviews were held with NIS students and teachers. I had interviewed five people. Finally, I recorded the interview using a Dictaphone and then analyzed it at home.

One of the important aspects of this research work is reliability. The results of a questionnaire should be similar if someone would like to repeat it. However, there could be some difficulties. For instance, the surveyed people could incorrectly answer questions. To avoid any misunderstanding, I gave the respondents clear instructions so that respondents could easily understand it. That is the way I ensured that the survey is reliable. Another survey`s important element is validity. Validity encompasses the entire experimental concept and establishes whether the results obtained meet all of the requirements of the scientific research method. If the results of the research survey are not valid, it means that they are pointless to our study and the results also cannot be used in the analysis. I ensured the validity of my data by choosing my respondents very carefully making sure they took the survey seriously.

Results

In this section I will analyze all the data that I have gathered from my survey, interviews and literature. My online survey was answered by teachers, students and others. According to quantitative method, I asked 105 people about fast food consumption in the USA and Kazakhstan and attitudes towards the major chains of fast food restaurants. The survey was conducted and it illustrated the degree of people`s awareness about fast food and its effects.

Overall, the results show that students are not considerably aware of this issue especially in Kazakhstan. On the whole 62 people aged 12-20, 15 people aged 20-35, 14 people aged 35-49 and 14 people who are over 50 were surveyed. I have discovered that 87.6% of all people know about the bad influence of fast food on human's body. The same I have found out in the interviews. For example, one of the international teachers said: “Fast food consumption is basically very bad for our body. As for me, the dangers of fast food cannot be understated as the whole population is increasingly becoming obese.”

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It is worth noting that I am struck that a lot of people do not know certain disadvantages. They have written only general and well-known effects such as obesity, someone even answered “death”. It is clear that they should enrich their knowledge and it is my goal to tell them about bad influence of fast food. In addition, 96.2% of people think that in America people consume much more fast food in comparison with Kazakhstan. According to one of my respondents, “Actually the USA, which is considered to be the home of fast food industry, expectedly eats the most fast food in the world. As it seems to me, in Kazakhstan fast food is less popular than in America.” These results mean that people in Kazakhstan are aware of the fact that fast food consumption in our country is less than in the USA. They have proved the fact which was mentioned in the context: every fourth American consumes fast food every day and 43% from this number eat in McDonald's.

However, it can be seen from answers of those, who answered, that there is a threat indeed to have more people who suffer from obesity in Kazakhstan. 66.7% of respondents confirmed that, and one of NIS students in the interview said that fast food restaurants pose growing threat to human's general health conditions. 66 people think that fast food chains in Kazakhstan are popular among young people and available for all residents. Anyway, 37 people (35.2%) said that fast food is not so popular and major fast food chains are located only in the big cities with enough population like Astana, Almaty and Karaganda. Actually, fast food chains in Kazakhstan are located in every town and are available for all people. However, when we talk about major fast food brands, McDonald's is only going to be opened in Almaty. Almost a half of respondents (53.3%) would like to try real American fast food only if there is an opportunity. Moreover, 46.7% of people who answered my poll want McDonald's or KFC to be opened in their hometowns. It means that still majority of people have a wish to taste American fast food or main brand to be located in their towns. Along with this, 37.1% would not like such brands to be opened in towns where they live and for 17 people it does not matter at all whether there is or not McDonald's or KFC in their town.

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According to my survey, I understood how certain amount of people expressed their attitude towards fast food. Thus, such numbers were revealed on a scale of 1 to 10. Here the most indicative results are presented:

Attitude of people according to a scale of 1 to 10	Number of people who express such attitude
10	5
8	18
7	16
5	22

All the international teachers whom I asked an interview shared that in their home countries they are quite fond of fast food; anyway, while working in Kazakhstan they are trying to reduce the amount of consumed junk food. On the contrary, one local NIS teacher said: “I did not use to eat fast food, but when my little son has grown up he became aware of what he eats and began asking for more delicious in his opinion food. Obviously, it was fast food. Things have changed and now we regularly eat fast food every week and we consider it like something special for our children. Honestly, I got used to fast food as it is tasty and really fast, I mean that I have not to spend my time on cooking...” It can be summarized from the taken interviews that for majority of local people fast food is considered to be a special meal which is not included in our daily diet and is eaten in case of weekends or celebrations. On the contrary, foreign people used to consume fast food every day before going to Kazakhstan. Here they are trying to refuse from this kind of food by substituting it with healthier food and eating more fruits and vegetables.

Conclusion

In this section I am going to conclude all the data by answering my research questions. The first research question was “How negative is fast food for our bodies?” During my research I have learned that fast food consists of trans fats which increase the level of “bad cholesterol” in our bodies. This rise leads to clogging of arteries and heart diseases. Also as it was mentioned in the context, obesity is the prevailing consequence of fast food overconsumption. In our modern world more and more people spend hours working in the offices and there is less possibility that a person will do sports during a day. So, there is no chance to burn calories. Finally, a large amount of sodium used in fast food preparation often causes high blood pressure or hypertension.

My second question was “What is the difference of fast food consumption between the USA and Kazakhstan?” I have discovered that in America there are approximately 232 fast food establishments while in Kazakhstan this figure is 4 thousand. Undoubtedly, the fast food industry is much stronger in the USA; however, this industry is becoming increasingly popular in Kazakhstan too. I suppose that it is so due to the fact that in America more people pay special attention to career. Thus, fast food is appropriate for people with busy lives. However, there is an increasing trend in staying at work more hours in my country, Kazakhstan; so, fast food is becoming a problem in our modern world. Furthermore, in the world of today's globalization foreign cultures inevitably invade the Kazakh one. American fast food is becoming more popular in Kazakhstan especially among young generation: teenagers and children.

My third question was “What is people's perception of fast food?” It is quite obvious that In the USA the majority of people are quite loyal towards fast food and do not take into consideration the negative aspects as they have no time to cook. Therefore, fast food becomes the best alternative. In Kazakhstan it seems that majority of population is fond of fast food and some families eat fast food at weekends and consider it like holiday meal. On the contrary, there are some people in Kazakhstan who are quite biased against fast food and consume it much less frequent. Anyway, this is within our power to make our own decisions concerning fast food.

My last question was “Can we predict our future concerning fast food?” It seems to be that we can and we do predict the future of fast food industry. According to Wang et.al., “Will all Americans become overweight or obese? Estimating the progression and cost of the US obesity epidemic”, it is projected that if the trends continue, in only 15 years 80% of all American adults will be overweight or obese. Looking at these figures, I become frightened by future predictions concerning fast food. It will lead to personal health problems as well as higher household expenses.

In conclusion, I think that we all responsible as individuals to educate ourselves and our families about the dangers of fast food consumption. It is the government too who is responsible and it should regulate the food and beverages industry so that companies should give the health of their customers the top priority without taking into account its profit. It is clear that fast food chains are popular enough in Kazakhstan but it cannot be compared with the USA as America seems to be a leader of fast food consumption. The difference lies in the contrast between the Kazakhstani and American cultures. In Western countries work and business are considered to be the main parts of life whereas in Kazakhstan the life of majority of people is not too busy. Therefore, to save time, Americans have to eat such kind of unhealthy food and, honestly, this decision is not the best.

Evaluation

In my opinion the strengths of my project work are credible sources, response to all my research questions, and the use of two types of research: qualitative and quantitative. In addition, I gathered information and tried to point out the cons of fast food for human body and was able to compare two countries in this aspect.

However, there are some weaknesses: not enough respondents in the online survey for more precise evaluation of results and majority of them from Pavlodar region. Moreover, there was possibility to get an interview with the administrators of fast food chains in Kazakhstan, ask their opinions on the development of fast food industry in our country and it would be quite advantageous. Furthermore, one of the strengths of my survey is that it was valid and almost reliable. Respondents didn`t have any problems with answering the survey. However, it was complicated to regulate the number of surveyed students of public schools. Because of lack of computers at public school, students answered the survey at home. I distributed the questionnaire through social network “VK”. The results of the survey cannot be generalized to all students of the country. In order to do it, students of different cities need to be surveyed.

Further research

This paper was trying to compare the fast food consumption in two countries and I conducted a poll and interviewed teachers and students. In further research this topic might be explored in all regions of Kazakhstan and be compared with the data of fast food consumption of different countries.

Representation can be improved by equalizing number of males and females, Kazakh and Russian groups, teachers and students and there will be enough responses, therefore, it will be easy to generalize. The results obtained in survey were the same as interviews', so the information is valid and reliable.

After analyzing the data, I can safely conclude that junk food affects people positively and negatively. I believe that skills obtained while doing primary and secondary research will be useful in my future. In addition, as it is commonly taken for granted, people are not concerned about problems which they are not aware of. So, I hope that my survey made them think of the possible negative impacts of food they and their children eat.



References

Mohan, R. (2011). Health Effects of Fast Food. Retrieved from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/health-effects-of-fast-food.html

Oliver, J. (2006). In Fat politics the real story behind America's obesity epidemic. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Paeratakul, S., Ferdinand, D., Champagne, C., Ryan, D., & Bray, G. (n.d.). Fast-food consumption among US adults and children: Dietary and nutrient intake profile. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 1332-1338.

Trans fats. (2009). Retrieved December 8, 2014, from Heart Foundation website: http://www.heartfoundation.org.au/healthyeating/fats/Pages/trans-fats.aspx

Statistics and facts about the Fast Food Industry. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.statista.com/topics/863/fast-food/

Fast food industry. (2013, August 31). Retrieved November 19, 2015, from http://assamchronicle.com/business/fast-food-industry

Wang, Y., Beydoun, M. A., Liang, L., Caballero, B., & Kumanyika, S. K. (2008). Will all Americans become overweight or obese? Estimating the progression and cost of the US obesity epidemic. Obesity, 16(10), 2323-2330.

http://www.kursiv.kz/news/kompanii/syn_bulata_utemuratova_vzyals ya_za_burger_king/



Appendix

Figure 1. Questionnaire Introduction

This research is about fast food consumption in the USA and Kazakhstan and its effects. The main aims of this research are to investigate people's attitude to this current problem (increasing trend of fast food consumption in Kazakhstan) and to find out how it will influence human's organism.

Please choose appropriate option

1. How old are you?

• 12-20

• 20-35

• 35-49

• 50 and more

2. Do you know about the bad influence of fast food on the human's body?

• Yes

• No

3. What are these bad effects? If you have answered “no” in the previous question, skip this question.

4. How do you feel yourself about fast food by the 10 point grading scale? (1-I hate it, 10-I love it so much)

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

• 5

• 6

• 7

• 8

• 9

• 10

5. In your opinion, are the fast food chains popular among young people in Kazakhstan?

• yes, they are popular and available for all residents

• they are not so popular, major fast food chains are located only in the big cities(Astana, Almaty and others)

• they are totally unpopular

6. What can you say comparing fast food consumption in the USA and Kazakhstan?

• in America people consume too much fast food

• the fast food consumption is equal in both countries

• America consumes not so much fast food in comparison with

Kazakhstan

7. Do you think that in America there is a threat to have a lot of people who suffer from obesity?

• Yes

• No

8. Do you think that in Kazakhstan there is a threat to have a lot of people who suffer from obesity?

• Yes

• No

9. If there is no McDonald's or KFC in your town, would you like it to be opened?

• I will really like it

• No, I don't want it to be opened in my hometown

• It is all the same for me

10. As you know, fast food in America differs from fast food in Kazakhstan. Do you want to taste a real American fast food?

• Yes, it would be nice!

• I don't want but if there is an opportunity, I will try it

• Totally no

11. What fast food chain do you prefer? For example, McDonald's, KFC, Pizza Hut and so on. You may write more than one company. If you don't like it, please, write “-” in the box below

consumption population fast food



Russian version of questionnaire

Введение

Эта научная работа рассматривает потребление фаст фуда в США и Казахстане, а также его влияние. Основные цели этой работы - изучить отношение людей, проживающих в Казахстане, к этой проблеме (увеличение потребления фаст фуда в Казахстане) и выяснить, как фаст фуд влияет на организм человека. Пожалуйста, выберите подходящий вариант

1. Сколько Вам лет?

• 12-20

• 20-35

• 35-49

• 50 и больше

2. Знаете ли Вы о негативном влиянии фаст фуда на организм человека?

• Да

• Нет

3. Какие отрицательные эффекты фаст фуда Вы знаете? Например, ожирение, высокое давление и др. Если вы ответили "Нет" в предыдущем вопросе, впишите "-" в поле для ответа

4. Как Вы относитесь к фаст фуду по 10 бальной шкале? (1-ненавижу, 10обожаю)

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

• 5

• 6

• 7

• 8

• 9

• 10

5. Как Вы думаете, популярен ли фаст фуд среди казахстанской молодежи?

• Да, фаст фуд популярен среди молодежи и доступен для каждого жителя страны

• Фаст фуд не так популярен и крупные сети быстрого питания находятся только в крупных городах (Астана, Алматы, Шымкент и др.)

• Фаст фуд абсолютно непопулярен

6. Что Вы можете сказать, сравнивая потребление фаст фуда в США и Казахстане?

• Aмериканцы потребляют слишком много фаст фуда

• Потребление фаст фуда примерно одинаково в обеих странах

• В Америке фаст фуд потребляют не так много по сравнению с Казахстаном

7. Как Вы думаете, есть ли в Америке угроза увеличения людей, страдающих ожирением?

• Да

• Нет

8. Как Вы думаете, есть ли в Казахстане угроза увеличения количества людей, страдающих ожирением?

• Да

• Нет

9. Если в Вашем городе нет таких сетей быстрого питания как McDonald's или KFC, то хотели бы Вы, чтобы такая точка открылась в вашем городе?

• Да, я действительно хочу этого

• Я не хочу открытия новой точки в моем родном городе

• Мне все равно

10. Как Вы знаете, фаст фуд в Америке отличается от казахстанского. Хотели бы вы попробовать настоящий американский фаст фуд?

• Да, было бы хорошо!

• В принципе, я не хочу, но если будет возможность, то не откажусь

• Определенно нет

11. Какую сеть ресторанов быстрого питания Вы предпочитаете? Например,

McDonald's, KFC, Pizza Hut и др. Вы можете написать более чем одну сеть. Если Вы не любите фаст фуд вовсе, впишите "-" в поле для ответа

Figure 2 Survey results

 

INFORMED CONSENT FORM

The focus on future career of students of grade 12 in NIS, Pavlodar

Date____________________

Dear____________________

I am Baigurmanova Dina, a student of 12 «F» grade in Nazarbayev Intellectual School of chemistry-biology direction in Pavlodar. As part of the requirements of my research paper in Global Perspectives and Project Working subject, I will conduct research and invite you to participate in my study.

DESCRIPTION: A research study in which you are asked to participate is an Interview.

You will be asked several questions about the career-guidance methods.

TIME INVOLVEMENT: You will be asked about 5 questions which will take approximately 5 minutes. The Interview date and time will be agreed with you in advance.

RISKS AND BENEFITS: There are no known risks or discomforts associated with this

study. The expected benefit for your participation in this study is that all your ideas and point of view will be taken into consideration and will be used during the research. This study is a chance to express your own opinion on such a significant problem as career-guidance methods.

PARTICIPANT'S RIGHTS: If you have read this form and have decided to participate in this project, please understand your participation is voluntary and you have the right to withdraw your consent or discontinue participation at any time without penalty or loss of benefits to which you are otherwise entitled. The results of this research study may be presented at scientific or professional meetings or published in scientific journals. All collected data will be confidential. The data will be kept in my own computer, and only I will have access to the data and I may show some part of data to my research supervisor for his guidance in data collection and analysis. When I complete the research, all data will be destroyed.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Questions: If you have any questions, concerns or complaints about this research, its procedures, risks and benefits, contact me or my supervisor Nazym Ospanova.

Nazym Ospanova

Phone: 8-701-341-76-52

E-mail: nazym.ospanova@nu.edu.kz

Baigurmanova Dina

Phone: 8-777-656-59-16

E-mail: dinochka.db@gmail.com

Please sign this consent from if you agree to participate in this study.

• I have carefully read the information provided;

• I have been given full information regarding the purpose and procedures of the study;

• I am aware that my interview will be recorded;

• I understand how the data collected will be used, and that any confidential information will be seen only by the researchers and will not be revealed to anyone else;

• I understand that I am free to withdraw from the study at any time without giving a reason;

• With full knowledge of all foregoing, I agree, of my own free will, to participate in this study.

Signature: ________________

Date: ____________________

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