Capstone assignment 7

Experts acknowledge that it is essential to know the difference between quantitative and qualitative research methods although there are misconceptions between the two. On the contrary both methods serve vastly diversified purposes. Quantitative research methods are used when it comes to quantifying the problem through generation of numerical data which is transformed into useable statistics. This method uses measureable data in formulation of facts and includes surveys, observations and reviews of records. Qualitative research method is used in gaining a clear understanding of underlying opinions, motivations and reasons. This method uses a small selected size sample and helps to develop ideas or hypotheses and gives insights into the problem. Qualitative research methods include focus groups, individual interviews, document reviews and in-depth interviews. This research study was designed to use qualitative approach in the form of in-depth interviews with women in the core group that was targeted. This method was more appropriate for my study because the fundamental goal of the research was to carry out face-to-face in-depth interviews at a well-known location. Due to the interests of including the views of a variety of women, an approach that was flexible to the actual location was adopted including local cafes, in-home, meeting rooms and in multiple special cases by telephone. This allowed the researching process many women in the client group.

Population

The study population on the effects of smoking in pregnant women involved an inclusion criterion of both white and black women pregnant smokers and pregnant non-smokers between 17 years and 36 years of age specifically in the state of Alabama United States. Alabama is considered part of the South and the numbers from the neighboring states are taken to be the same. This research paper seeks to discuss the effects of smoking in pregnant women living in Alabama who are receiving prenatal care at the moment. Alabama is considered to be the third state across the nation with a percentage of 36% whereby pregnant women are reported to smoke often and consequently suffer the effects of smoking on the infants and the mothers as health reports show.

This issue hence has become a major health concern. Women in Alabama smoke due to various reasons including relieve of stress, addiction, control of weight, in order to deal with depression and also due to the gender differences in the behavior to quit since women are less interested in quitting than men. This has become a major health catastrophe because women who smoke in Alabama allow the toxic chemicals to enter the blood vessels obstructing the source of oxygen and nutrients for the fetus. Harmful compounds like carbon monoxide and cyanide lead to smoking related complications during pregnancy. Nicotine for instance chokes off oxygen hence narrowing the blood vessels of the body and umbilical cord. Smoking in pregnant women affects lactation leading to less milk production. Second hand smoke that is exhaled by a person smoking ultimately has adverse effects on both the mother and the fetus. All these effects cripple the country’s healthcare system now that currently Alabama has a debt which amounts to $22 billion with only 10.1 billion in assets. You find that such a high magnitude of debt cuts in other areas including schools and the environment that consequently lead to lack of jobs which leads to stress within the community that brings us to smoking pregnant mothers.

Sampling frame

Clinical research will be carried out using the recruited 31 pregnant smokers and 35 pregnant non-smokers who are between 17 years and 36 years of age. The clinical research will be done in Montgomery the most populated city of Alabama. Using Montgomery will be the best option since it fits and has both white and black women from all walks of life that smoke and others who do not smoke. Participants who delivered term infants will be considered for clear evaluation of the effects of smoking exposure on the growth of the baby; this will help analyze the effects on preterm delivery. In addition to this, participants were also supposed to have two sets of measures that corresponded to smoking including their urine cotinine concentration and self-reported smoking separated by a minimum of 8 weeks. The purpose of doing this is to exclude the pregnant smokers whose changes in smoking were not sufficient to have impact on their infant’s birth weight.

Data collection

Data will be collected by use of qualitative approach. The participants will be brought in to the chosen location of the Montgomery medical research facility then they will be told that their results will be made publicized but then their identities will be protected from the public. The primary approach of collecting data will be through conducting face-to-face in-depth interviews at the medical research facility. Birth weights will be obtained from maternal interview during the postpartum visit. All the participants will be told the objective of the study which is to find out the effects of smoking in pregnant women.

After that, a standardized questionnaire will be filled; smoking and pregnancy data will be collected. A COex measurement will also be performed and a sample of participant’s urine will be collected in order to measure the levels of cotinine. Upon delivery, the participants will be contacted for data collection about their newborn a month after their delivery. The cotinine concentration will be measured using a high performance liquid chromatography technique.

Data analysis

The entire process of data analysis will be quite complex. The participants will be categorized in four parts depending on the COex levels and as per the levels of urinary cotinine. The percentile will also be used for data that is categorical and ANOVA will also be used in comparison of the means and several regressions. Adjustments will be made in the gestational age, age of participants, number of pregnancies, amniotic fluid and the degree of placenta. The level of significance that will be assigned will be 0.05 and the data will be processed using SPSS version 22. The percentiles will be used in comparison of the resistance indices and the birth weights of the fetus as per the age of gestation for each participant and a Hadlock table will be used for the weight.