Nursing Research Methods Week 3 Midweek Assignment

Sample Answer

Introduction

Background and Significance of the Problem

Among the most concerning chronic health conditions is obesity. Irrespective of whether the condition is experienced by an adult or a child, obesity has been connected to poor life quality and various numerous killer comorbid conditions such as some types of cancer, stroke, heart disease, and diabetes (Chiao et al., 2015).

Even though the disease has devastating effects on the population, it remains to be a complex health concern caused by a combination of individual factors like genetics and behaviour as well as a combination of other causes like physical activity, environment, food, skills, and education.

Various factors such as exposures, medication use, dietary pattern, and lack of physical activity have also been shown to contributing factors (Werneck et al., 2018). Even though various interventions have been used to prevent and manage obesity, the condition seems to be increasing among the population.

For a long time, obesity has been considered a public health problem and given descriptions such as obesity epidemic. Such a name was seen fitting due to the condition’s prevalence increasing dramatically in the last three decades. Added to the various health implications of obesity in terms of mortality and morbidity, the condition similarly has serious financial implications as it has a substantial economic burden on the USA economy and other world’s governments and States.

The resulting poorer health outcomes for obese individuals means that such people have to use the health care services more frequently, implying that there is a notable increase in health care costs. As of the year 2016, close to two billion adults were overweight, where over six hundred and fifty million among them were classified as obese globally—implying that close to forty percent of the adult population were overweight, with thirteen percent among them obese.

As of 2019, the statistics for children under the age of five were not better as thirty-eight millions of this population were classified as either obese or overweight (Nittari et al., 2019). Even though the statistics do not look good, on the brighter side is that obesity is preventable, mainly through various behavioural lifestyle changes.

Statement of the Problem and Purpose of the Study

Obesity has both mental and physical health complications for people of all ages. The complications associated with obesity range from medical conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, some types of cancer, stroke, and heart disease. Also, obesity is associated with reduced self-esteem, social isolation, as well as depression. Providing solutions to the increasing cases of obesity is therefore essential in ensuring a healthy population.

Even though various interventions exist, it is vital to know which types could be more effective in controlling and managing obesity and under what conditions. The purpose of the research is to analyze the best interventions essential in the management of obesity.

Some of the best interventions that the research is based on include educational approaches and behavioural change. The research will therefore compare patient outcomes when using behavioural lifestyle changes and medication methods as intervention styles.

Research Questions, Hypothesis, and Variables with Operational Definitions

Research Question

In guiding this research, the following research question in a PICOT format will be used For individuals suffering from obesity (P), can lifestyle changes (I) compared to medical interventions (C) help to reduce the complications associated with obesity (O) in six months (T)?

Hypothesis Research and Null

In a research process, both the research and null hypotheses are important since one of the activities is to disapprove the null hypothesis and show the relationship between various variables is of statistical importance (Szucs & Ioannidis, 2017). This research will have two hypotheses, that is, research hypothesis and null hypothesis.
Research hypothesis

The use of behavioural lifestyle change as an intervention to reduce health complications associated with obesity will be more effective than the use of medical interventions for managing and reducing complications associated with obesity.

Null hypothesis The use of behavioural lifestyle change as an intervention to reduce and manage obesity-associated complications will not be more effective than the use of medical intervention to reduce and manage the same complications.

Identification and Definition of Variables

This study will use various variables to help accomplish the set objectives. Among the variables to be used include age of the patients classified as youths (18-35) and >35 as older adults. Gender will be classified as either female or male. Among the dependent variables are Body Mass Index (BMI), the BMI will either be classified as low, normal, or high.

The other variable is the type of intervention used for managing and controlling obesity. From the study aim, the type of intervention variable will either be medical or a lifestyle behaviour change. The weight of the study subjects is another variable that will be used. In determining whether an individual is obese or not, weight is usually a huge factor to consider.

In this research, the variations of weight will be considered in both sets of study subjects (in the lifestyle behaviour changes and medical intervention groups). Independent variables for the study will be perceived risk of obesity, obesity quotient, which will be defined as the ratio of participants who are obese, and the demographic variables mentioned earlier.

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References

• Chiao, C. Y., Wu, H. S., & Hsiao, C. Y. (2015). Caregiver burden for informal caregivers of patients with dementia A systematic review. International Nursing Review, 62(3), 340-350. https //doi.org/10.1111/inr.12194.
  
• Nittari, G., Scuri, S., Petrelli, F., Pirillo, I., Di Luca, N. M., & Grappasonni, I. (2019). Fighting obesity in children from European World Health Organization member states. Epidemiological data, medical-social aspects, and prevention programs. Clin Ter, 170(3), e223-e230. Doi 10.7417/CT.2019.2137.
  
• Szucs, D., & Ioannidis, J. (2017). When null hypothesis significance testing is unsuitable for research a reassessment. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 11, 390. Doi 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00390
  
• Werneck, A. O., Oyeyemi, A. L., Gerage, A. M., Cyrino, E. S., Szwarcwald, C. L., Sardinha, L. B., & Silva, D. R. (2018). Does leisure‐time physical activity attenuate or eliminate the positive association between obesity and high blood pressure? The Journal of Clinical Hypertension, 20(5), 959-966. https //doi/full/10.1111/jch.13292