Chapter 1. Analyzing a Technical Document
1.1 Section Title
This two-page publication was produced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The following questions ask you to think about the various factors that contributed to the content and design of this document.
"The page is titled as “Physical Activity Builds A Healthy and Strong America.” The page is horizontally divided into three sections. The first section is labeled as “THE PROBLEM” and it is vertically divided into two parts. The first part shows text “1 IN 2,” two pictorial representations of human beings, and a text beside the pictorial representations that reads, “About 1 in 2 adults live with a chronic disease. About half of this group has two or more.” In the second part of the first section, a pictorial representation of a woman in a circle is shown. The text ½ is written inside the circle toward the right side. Text beside the circle reads, “Only half of adults get the physical activity they need to help reduce and prevent chronic disease.”The second section is labeled as “NOT GETTING ENOUGH PHYSICAL ACTIVITY COSTS MONEY.” Text to the left end of the section titled “dollar 117 BILLION” reads, “dollar 117 billion in annual health care costs are associated with inadequate physical activity.” Four illustrations with milestones, “1 year, 5 years, and 10 years” are shown beside the text. The first illustration shows a man reading a book before the 1 year milestone. The second illustration shows a woman walking a dog and the third shows a man cycling, between both the first and the fifth year milestones. The fourth illustration shows a woman jogging between five years and ten-year milestones. The third section is labeled as “IMPACT ON MILITARY READINESS.” A US map overlaid with a few outlines of humans and an illustration of a boy holding a US flag is shown toward the left of the section. Text below the map reads, “Nearly 1 in 4 young adults are too heavy to serve in our military.” Text beside the map reads, “Long-term military readiness is at risk unless a large-scale change in physical activity and nutrition takes place in America. Mission: Readiness Military Leaders for Kids.”"
"The page is horizontally divided into three sections. The first section is titled as “Physical Activity Saves Lives and Protects Health.” Text below the title reads, “1 in 10 premature deaths could be prevented by getting enough physical activity. It could also prevent” Four illustrations follow this text. The first illustration shows a woman’s dress with text “1 in 8 cases of breast cancer.” The second illustration shows an image of an intestine with text reading, “1 in 8 cases of colorectal cancer.” The third illustration shows a glucometer with text reading “1 in 12 cases of diabetes.” The fourth illustration shows an image of a heart with text reading “1 in 15 cases of heart disease.” Text below the illustrations read, “Physical activity is the closest thing we have to a wonder drug. Dr. Tom Frieden, CDC Director. The second section is labeled as “Investing in Physical Activity Makes Sense.” The section is vertically divided into three parts. The first part shows an icon of a child and text below reads, “Benefits of Children – Improves aerobic fitness, Improves muscular fitness, Improves bone health, Promotes favorable body composition, Improves attention and some measures of academic performance (with school physical activity programs).” The second part shows an icon of an adult and text below. Text below reads, “Benefits of healthy aging – Lowers risk of high blood pressure, Lowers risk of stroke, Improves aerobic fitness, Improves mental health, Improves cognitive function, Reduces arthritis symptoms, Prevents weight gain.” The third part shows an icon of an elderly person and text below. Text below reads, “Reduces risk of falling, Improves balances, Improves joint mobility, Extends years of active life, Helps prevent weak bones and muscle loss, Delays onset of cognitive decline.” The third section is labeled as “Physical Activity Benefits Communities.” This section is divided into three parts. The first part on the left shows an illustration of money followed by text that reads, “Economic – Building active and walkable communities can help: Increase levels of retail economic activity and employment, Increase property values, Support neighborhood revitalization, Reduce health care costs.” The top left part shows an illustration of an exclamation mark enclosed inside a triangle along with text that reads, “Safety – Walkable communities can improve safety for people who walk, ride bicycles, and drive.” The bottom left part shows an illustration of a woman working on a laptop. The corresponding text reads, “Workforce – Physical active people tend to take fewer sick days.” Text below these illustrations shows a logo and it reads, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For More Information Please Visit: Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity. www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpao. "
