Benchmark - Capstone Project Change Proposal

Running head: LITERATURE REVIEW

LITERATURE REVIEW

Literature Review

Avery Bryan

Professor Tammy Grey

NRS-490

01/19/2020

The proposed capstone project aims to recommend effective measures that will assist in reducing the prevalence of obesity among African American children. The findings of various research studies have shown that there are an increasing number of African American children who are obese and overweight. Obesity is, therefore, one of the major health concerns. Many research studies have been carried out to determine measures that can be put in place to curb the prevalence of obesity. Most of the researchers have been able to recommend effective interventions to check this particular trend of an increasing number of obese children. Obese children are prone to getting various serious health complications that impact negatively on their health and reduce their life expectancy. The conditions that are associated with obesity have been attributed to high mortality rates among African American children. The capstone project will, therefore, recommend interventions such as educating families on practicing healthy lifestyles. This will help in reducing the prevalence of obesity among African American children. 

The research questions of studies that have examined the issue of childhood obesity have been similar. For instance, the research questions contained in the article by (Amini et al., 2014) addressed issues concerning barriers to losing weight and interventions that are effective in losing weight among children. The research questions that were asked by (Chircop et al., 2015) addressed the environmental influences on childhood obesity. Generally, the research questions that were asked by various researchers attempted to come up with the answer of several aspects of childhood obesity from causes to interventions. Most of the research questions led to the discovery of new aspects surrounding childhood obesity. 

The researchers examining the issue of childhood obesity used a different set of sample populations. This largely depended on the nature of the study. For example, a sample population of twenty-seven obese/overweight primary school-students was used in the study that was carried out by (Amini et al., 2014). A sample population of forty-seven families was used by (Chircop et al., 2015). A sample population of seventy-four obese/overweight children was used in the research study that was conducted by (Ranucci et al., 2017). In the study carried out by (Danford et al., 2015), a sample population of 286 low‐income mothers with children aged 4–8 years was involved in the study. After reviewing various studies, it is apparent that most of the researchers used a convenient sample size. The convenient sample population enabled the researchers to better determine the average values of their data and avoid errors when making inferences concerning various aspects of childhood obesity. They were, therefore, able to obtain accurate results and come up with correct recommendations. 

The research studies that were reviewed had different limitations. For instance, the study by (Amini et al., 2014) was conducted in public schools, so the inferences and conclusion may not necessarily be generalizable to private schools. There are several limitations of the research study that was carried out by (Chircop et al., 2015). First, the data presented was collected from purposively sampled diverse contexts. The findings generated were therefore not generalizable. Secondly, only one school neighborhood of each type (high/low SES; urban/rural/suburban) was represented in the data and there is much variation within each of these categories in terms of opportunities for physical activity and healthy eating. There are various limitations to the study carried out by (Danford et al., 2015). First, results may only be generalizable to low‐income families. Secondly, the semi‐structured interview did not allow for detailed probing to gain a greater understanding of the perceptions of the mothers. Thirdly, the research questions were answered in a socially desirable manner. Finally, parents who participated in the study may have had a greater interest in strategies for feeding children or a willingness to participate in research than those who did not participate. It is, however, good to note that these limitations did not impact negatively the outcomes of the research studies. 

There are several implications of the findings of the research studies that were reviewed. First, implementing factual content about healthy eating and activity alone may not be an effective strategy for reducing the prevalence of childhood overweight/obesity. This is because most parents that were interviewed were already aware of these health messages. Clinicians should consider focusing on the delivery of information concerning obesity prevention strategies. The results of most of the research studies that were reviewed suggest that while most parents are very knowledgeable about obesity prevention strategies; there may be obstacles to their ability to implement these strategies in their homes. Clinicians should also consider focusing on developing strategies with the parents to support behavioral change. Novel strategies that effectively support behavior change are required. The implications for further research include the need to move beyond the socio-ecological model, by integrating critical dimensions such as ‘time’ to allow for a more nuanced understanding of contemporary healthy living. Policy-makers should take several lessons from the findings of the reviewed studies. Health promotion campaigns should be designed. These campaigns should concern healthy eating practices and advertisements for physical activity. The researchers also ascertain that childhood obesity prevention efforts aimed at both physical activity and healthy eating should be consistent with health. 

References

Amini, M., Djazayery, A., Majdzadeh, R., Taghdisi, M. H., Sadrzadeh-Yeganeh, H., & Eslami-Amirabadi, M. (2014). Children with obesity prioritize social support against stigma: a qualitative study for development of an obesity prevention intervention. International Journal of Preventive Medicine, 5(8), 960.

Chircop, A., Shearer, C., Pitter, R., Sim, M., Rehman, L., Flannery, M., & Kirk, S. (2013). Privileging physical activity over healthy eating:‘Time’to Choose?. Health Promotion International, 30(3), 418-426.

Danford, C. A., Schultz, C. M., Rosenblum, K., Miller, A. L., & Lumeng, J. C. (2015). Perceptions of low‐income mothers about the causes and ways to prevent overweight in children. Child: Care, Health and Development, 41(6), 865-872.

Ranucci, C., Pippi, R., Buratta, L., Aiello, C., Gianfredi, V., Piana, N., ... & Gili, A. (2017). Effects of an intensive lifestyle intervention to treat overweight/obese children and adolescents. BioMed Research International, 2017.