Prevention and Treatment of Childhood Obesity, Research Paper Example

The issue of child obesity and overweight has reached epidemic proportions and are considered major public health problem globally and nationally (Akola, 2005). Between 1980 and 2007, overweight prevalence almost tripled in U.S. adolescents and preschoolers and quadrupled among kids between six and eleven years. Amid 2003 and 2004, about 17.3% of children from two to nineteen years were above 95% of BMI (Body Mass Index) compared to 5.6% in 1970s. Presently, approximately 25.2 million children from U.S and adolescents are obese or overweight and kids from low socio-economic families are excessively affected (Morse, 1997). These are high figures and necessary precautions and treatments should be imposed urgently. Some of the challenges in obese treatment/prevention include the inability to identify correct method for its prevention/treatments. Some methods work better than others. This study will examine the best method that can be used to improve patients’ (obese) safety and obese/overweight treatment (Dee, 2007).

Research Methodology

During this study, several sources (both quantitative and qualitative, primary and secondary) will be used to gather information and data that will be available will be used to provide guidance to this study. Secondary sources having medical records and research conducted on childhood obesity in the past will be used (Morse, 1997). The information will be collected from various hospitals and medical centers. In the data collection, questionnaire and interviews will be used mainly. The information that will be obtained from these sources will be critically analyzed and presented using percentage charts. The majority of the sources to be used will touch on overweight and obese prevention/treatment. Therefore, this context forms an important part in conducting further research on obese treatment and prevention.

The null hypothesis for this study will be;

1. Diet and child behavior reduces overweight and obesity.
2. Change in diet has led to increase in obesity and overweight.

The two hypotheses will be used in determining best obese treatment method.

In the interview and questionnaires, relationship between time and obesity will be determined. This will be made possible by determining whether change in time has lead to obesity increments or not. The medical record from 1985 to date will be used (Kowalski, 2007). The information that will be obtained here will help to further the research and examine the connections between diet and obesity. Diet has changed and continues to and it’s believed that calories, especially fat quantity has increased. In the questionnaires, the methods that are considered better for obesity treatment will be examined. Questionnaires will be posted to various medical centers for doctors after which they will be informed via phone for verification (they have obtained) and early filling. All the possible obese treatment methods will be listed for easy identification. This will reduce chances that one might be left untouched (Kowalski, 2007). The person filling questionnaire will only choose and provides brief support. This will be most filled by medical doctors (targeted). Emphasis will be laid in this question. The answerers will be compared with the answers from provided by the interview and medical records from the medical centers. All the information will be analyzed and presented in percentage chart.

In answering the second hypothesis, few obese children and non-obese will be sampled. The parental and children hobbies and activities will be determined. Parents will be interviewed and few children. The parental role in its reduction will hence be determined. Diet (mostly eaten foods) will as well be identified.

Analysis

In the analysis, the responses from both interviews and questionnaires will be used. They will be critically analyzed and presented in charts with explanations.

References

Akola, P. (2005). Patient safety: essentials for health care. Macmillan publishers.

Dee, L. (2007). Prevention and treatment of childhood obesity; Joint Commission Resources

Morse, J. (1997). Preventing childhood obesity; Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publications, Inc.

Kowalski, M. (2007). Textbook of obesity and overweight; New York, USA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.