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Research Design Using Secondary Data Research Paper

Construct a Research Design Using Secondary Data Part 1

Secondary data takes into account data that is gathered by someone else aside from the user. Examples of sources of secondary data comprise of data gathered by government establishments, organizational records in addition to data that was initially gathered for other purposes of research. The secondary data selected for this paper is census. In delineation, a census is the process of methodically obtaining and recording data and information regarding the members of a certain population. It is a frequently recurring and formal count of a certain population. Moreover, it is a kind of administrative data, but it is gathered for the purpose of research at distinctive time periods and intervals. Census information is obtained from the United States Census Bureau. Reliability is delineated as the magnitude to which an appraisal tool generates steady and consistent outcomes. The census data obtained can be deemed largely reliable for the reason that the outcomes obtained are not only stable but are also consistent throughout the different periods of time. However, it is imperative to note that the secondary data obtained from census is not completely accurate. This is largely for the reason that the data is never up to date and therefore, the statistics provided might have completely changed either through an increase or decrease. For instance, in the case of obese data of American people, the census data gathered in the year 2003 or 2013 cannot be considered to be accurate in depicting the prevailing number of obese individuals in the United States in the present day. However, such data can be deemed reliable for making projections. In addition, the census is a special extensive activity which occurs once within a decade in the entire nation. Therefore, such data can be reliable in gaining information regarding the population about a certain phenomenon but is not accurate at all times owing to the fact that it is undertaken solely once within a ten-year period (Central Bureau of Statistics, 2018).

Part II

Research Problem

Obesity is an intricate issue with numerous causes and consequences. Within the United...

Imperatively, in recent years, obesity has continues to grow within the United States and the nation is deemed to comprise of one of the biggest percentage of obese individuals in the world. The research problem in this study is to examine why so many Americans are overweight.
Research Design

Research design is delineated as a draught and outline that specifies how, when, and where data are to be gathered and analyzed. It is the general approach for resolving the research question or examining the research hypothesis. The research design of this study takes up quantitative research approach. Notably, quantitative research can be defined as a planned and organized manner of gathering and analyzing data gathered from different sources. Quantitative research encompasses the use of computational, numerical, and measured tools to develop results. It is decisive in its purpose as it endeavors to enumerate the problem and then comprehend how widespread it is by seeking for projectable results to a greater population (Thomas, 2003). In this regard, the data will make use of quantitative data from secondary sources in order to make an analysis of the research problem.

Secondary Data

The secondary data used on this study is obtained from the United States Census Bureau. However, it is imperative to note that the U.S Census Bureau is not the primary source for the data gathered on obesity. Imperatively, the primary source for data on obesity is the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, included in the National Center for Health Statistics. Statistics indicate that between 2011 and 2014, the prevalence of obesity was just about 36 percent in adults in the United States and 17 percent amongst the youth. In addition, the secondary data also indicated that the prevalence of obesity was greater amongst women, standing at 38.3 percent compared to the level of obesity amongst men, standing at 34.3%. With respect to the youth, there was no discernible significant…

Sources used in this document:

References

Central Bureau of Statistics. (2018). Uses of census data. Retrieved from: http://www.cbs.gov.il/census/census/pnimi_sub_page_e.html?id_topic=1&id_subtopic

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. (2018). Overweight and obesity statistics. Retrieved from: https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-statistics/overweight-obesity

Ogden, C. L., Carroll, M. D., Fryar, C. D., & Flegal, K. M. (2015). Prevalence of obesity among adults and youth: United States, 2011-2014 (pp. 1-8). US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics.

State of Obesity. (2018). Obesity Rates & Trends Overview. Retrieved from: https://stateofobesity.org/obesity-rates-trends-overview/

Thomas, R. M. (2003). Blending qualitative and quantitative research methods in theses and dissertations. Corwin Press.


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