Childhood Obesity Research
Obesity is defined by WHO (2011) as the excessive accumulation of fats that can cause harm to the health of an individuals. This is measured using the Body Mass Index. This is the juxtaposition of body weight for body height. Simply put dividing the weight of an individual by the Square of the Height in Meters. For instance, an adult whose BMI is between 25 and 29.9 is said to be overweight, but when it goes beyond that then he is considered obese as observed by the WHO.
It would be interesting to research on the behaviors of the children who are obese and try to find the factors relating to childhood obesity. Due to the diverse nature of the condition that has to do with the habit as well as the lifestyle and the age of the subjects, it will be interesting to have a variegated approach in terms of the methods to be used in the research. The methods that will be used are qualitative approaches, quantitative approach as well as the case study.
This research will adopt the qualitative research studies more rather than quantitative nursing research studies because such studies capture a client's perspective of healthcare rather than mere figures that could mean little to the subjects who are to benefit from the results of the research (Polit & Beck, 2008).
Qualitative approaches are invaluable in primary healthcare research such as this when issues related to the behavior of patients and healthcare professionals need to be interrogated, a thing that cannot be interrogated in figures and numbers (Brookes, 2007). The approaches can also be used to assess the participant's feelings, meanings and experiences. Qualitative research studies help in highlighting the extent of a given problem by exploring why the problem has arisen. To this extent ideas can be generated to help solve the problem. Qualitative nursing research uses unexpected ideas that arise during data collection. This makes it flexible. Its flexibility can also be attributed to the prompts that are allowed during interviews. The research also produces data without harming the participants. After a research has been done, full disclosure can be made to the participants so that they can make informed decision on how the data obtained from them is to be used.
The use of quantitative research approach will also be involved though to a lesser extent. This approach will help in getting the figures that are of historical significance in trying to explore the trends the menace of childhood obesity has taken.
Case studies will help in depicting the peculiarity of each case that is studied and therefore giving room to explanation of why some intervening factors could make a research sample stand out from the rest that have a uniform trend.
Research methods
In order to get the most reliable data from within the sample of teenagers and students in particular, three main research methodologies would be appropriate to employ. For each methodology chosen, there is a sound reason as to why it was chosen and the reasons are given as below:
Focus groups: this is the best method in getting the deeply rooted attitudes and beliefs that existed among the underage drinkers. Since the issues and habits associated with obesity are at times very personal it would be fundamental to capture the feelings and the attitude of the youth towards some of these habits and these can best be tapped through focus groups (Jody Temkin, 2011). This information collection is to be done orally and no writing is expected of the participants hence free will participation.
Interviews: is the other significant method that will be used to get the personal views that the teenagers hold about obesity and this way the researcher can get the effects that obesity has on the individual. This method has the advantage of personal contact so the kinesthetic responses will be observed and recorded as well.
Surveys: these are to be used in collection of numerical data (quantitative approach) from the relevant offices, departments and participants. This will give data in terms of numbers and percentages on obesity, the academic performance and the change in performance and other pertinent data. Online and physical data that are to be considered then the data collected is to be used to populate the pie charts and graphs for the aid of the research and is the best method to use in a large population as the one in this research (Colorado State University, 2011).
These are the main research methodologies that will be used to collect data and information for analysis.
Participants
The research mainly deals...
Childhood obesity is one of the most discussed health problems in the United States, and is a growing health issue in many places worldwide. The reason that childhood obesity is a worry for healthcare officials will be discussed in this paper, along with statistics that show the current trends. Also, potential solutions to this crisis will also be presented. How is Obesity defined? The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) defines
Childhood obesity is becoming prevalent with every passing day, almost uniformly in the developed parts of the world. This problem needs to be discussed on important forums so that substantial solutions can be sort for this issue as this is creating a lot of burden on the government as well as the parents of the children who become obese. Childhood obesity is defined as a condition in which the child has
Childhood Obesity in Kentucky Childhood overweight and obesity has grown at an alarming rate over the last decade. Obesity is linked to media advertising, environmental, social and psychological, food labeling, and parental factors. Causes of childhood obesity have been linked to sedentary lifestyles with limited or no physical activity and unhealthy eating of excessive fatty and sugary foods. Body mass index (BMI) is a measure used to determine overweight and obesity using
Childhood Obesity One of the most significant health problems seen in the United States is obesity. Within this dynamic there are particular issues of special concern for the health care industry and society in general, most notably the exponential increase in obesity found among children. (Strauss, Pollack, 2001, pgs. 2845-2848) and (Troiano, Flegel, 1998, pgs. 497-504) "Childhood obesity has more than doubled over the past 20 years, and it represents the
The conductors of the study relied upon past information indicating that children born with low birth weights have an increased likelihood of suffering from health problems later in life -- many of these health problems are results of obesity. Generally -- the study found -- children born small but who catch up to average children by age two, tend to have higher central fat distributions later in life. The
Childhood Obesity Obesity in young ones is a major public health issue in the U.S. as the figure of overweight teenagers has tripled over the last thirty years such that 17%, that is, 12.5 million of children and teenagers aged between 2 and 19 years are currently categorized as obese on the basis of BMI (body mass index) (Jackson, 2). CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) defines childhood obesity as
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now