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Respond to your classmate’s discussion. In your response post, response on why you agree. Please provide a thoughtful reply to promote discussion, critical thinking, and class interaction of your colleagues. Each of your responses to your classmates should be at least 150 words in length, and include an APA formatted scholarly resource.

DISCUSSION (Alissa)

Obesity has many health consequences and can lead to many chronic illnesses (Brown & Allison, 2013). There are multiple ethical issues related to researching obesity. In some cultures, obesity is considered a wealth status symbol. By portraying obesity as a negative condition that needs to be modified, researchers could inadvertently cause psychological distress, cultural disparities, and identity crises in populations who hold this belief. To help alleviate this potential issue, cultural and community leaders should be involved in developing interventions to help create healthy behaviors. Obesity is caused by many different factors, such as physical activity level, eating habits, medical conditions, socioeconomic status, and psychological conditions (Brown & Allison, 2013). It is unethical and unsafe to assume that a person’s behaviors are the sole reason for their obesity. This type of thinking could cause a person to suffer psychological, mental, and physical distress. To reduce the possibility of harm, all research participants will have the ability to remove themselves from the project at any time. All participants will be closely monitored by health professionals. And all participants should have the ability to have any and all concerns addressed when they arise. Another ethical issue is the freedom of choice. In some previous obesity studies, participants were not allowed to make choices that are known to contribute to obesity (Brown & Allison, 2013). These limitations resulted in increased obesity after the study was completed as individuals reverted to making the forbidden choices. To reduce this effect, research participants must be allowed to make their own decisions, but they need to be aware of the consequences of those decisions, so that they are informed. Easy-to-understand education provided in a nonjudgmental way will be key to freedom of choice.

There are multiple opportunities for formal research ethics training. Most companies require annual training, which might include ethics. There are also a plethora of online ethics courses and training opportunities. As I am not professionally performing research currently, I have no current plans to attend formal research ethics training. However, should I become more interested in public health research or obtain a job in research, I fully intend to participate in formal research training at that time.

References

Brown, A. W., & Allison, D. B. (2013). Unintended consequences of obesity-targeted health policy. AMA Journal of Ethics, 15(4), 339–346. https://doi.org/10.1001/virtualmentor.2013.15.4.pfor2-1304