Educational Media Reviews Online

The main objective to Test Your Fast Food Knowledge is to educate middle and high school students about making healthy food selections. Reasons we eat fast food, consequences, calories, proportions, fat content, advertising, food labels, and sodium are covered in the program in an interactive quiz format. Special attention is given to some of the most popular foods among middle and high school students: burgers, fries, salads, and sodas. The program’s strengths are the quiz format, binder with teaching activities, and inclusion of food examples familiar to teenagers.

Throughout the program, viewers are invited to answer multiple-choice questions about fast food. For example, the actors ask viewers to think about which type of sandwich has the most calories. Answers include popular favorites among teenagers—the Quarter Pounder from McDonald’s for example. Every time a quiz question is posed and answered the actors follow up with more information such as healthier alternatives. Students learn that even some salads and beverages can be overloaded with calories, and that reading the nutrition labels can aid in making healthier choices.

After educating students about how to make the healthiest choices with food and beverages, the actors summarize the advice given and recommend looking up further nutritional information online or using a mobile phone application. Teachers can use many of the student activity ideas that accompany the DVD such as the pre- and post-tests, writing prompts, analyzing fast food advertisements, Junk Food Jeopardy, and ideas for classroom debates. Fact sheets, a bibliography, and suggested web sites are also listed. This program is recommended for academic libraries with curriculum collections and for public and school libraries that serve teenagers.