Exploring Parent Knowledge and Understanding of Healthy Eating of Childhood Ages 5-10 Years Old - Research Proposal Example

 Exploring Parent Knowledge and Understanding of Healthy Eating and Weight of Childhood Ages 5-10 Years Old Table of Contents “Kids need 60 minutes of active play every day” (Tyler 2012, p. 1). Children who do less physical exercise when compared to others are more prone to the medical problem of obesity. Watching sports on television sets instead of playing on-field games is regarded as one of the main causes of obesity. A lack of exertion or physical movement makes the body inefficient in trying to decrease the rising levels of fat and cholesterol. “Childhood obesity can be a sensitive subject, especially if you have an overweight child” (Bullington 2011 p. 1).This statement is valid because obese children become unable to perform well in studies due to less interaction with peers and teachers. The alarming point is that parents usually do not pay attention to this issue because they have little or no awareness about the effects of unhealthy eating and exercise until their children become obese (Poulter & Laws 2015). 4 3.1 Nutrition 4 Summerbell, C, Moore, H, Vogele, C, Kreichauf, S, Wildgruber, A, Manios, Y, Douthweaite, W, Nixon, C & Gibson, E 2012, ‘Evidence-based recommendations for the development of obesity prevention programs targeted at preschool children’, Obesity Reviews, vol. 13, no. s1, pp. 129-132. 13 7.0 Appendixes 14 1.0 Title ‘Exploring parent knowledge and understanding of healthy eating and weight of childhood ages 5-10 years old’ 2.0 Introduction This study sets out to find out how much parents in the United Kingdom, with focus on the parents involved with Middlesex University, know about healthy eating and the weight of their children particularly those aged between 5 and 10 years. The purpose of this study is to shed light on this subject area in order to create a platform for exploration of various methods that can be used to combat or even prevent the medical problem of obesity in children. This research will be quite beneficial to the family, both nuclear and extended as they are in constant contact with their children. Arguably the family has the greatest influence as to what their children eat and hence uphold sustainable health measures within the family that are then adopted by the children. Furthermore, this study will also be useful to the wider community especially organizations that are concerned with the manufacturing and processing of food, nutritionists and the staff of the National Health Service. Obesity in children is one of the biggest public health challenges in the 21st century. Contextually, in the UK there has been increasing concern with regard to childhood obesity that has led the last government to apply stricter nutrient standards with respect to foods supplied in schools (Voon, Mitchelle & Liberman 2014). “Obesity is increasing among children and adolescents, with 16.8% of boys and 15.2% of girls in the UK aged 2 to 15 years obese in 2008” (Canoy & Bundred 2011, p. 1). Obesity can cause cancer and heart diseases in children (PIHD, 2015). This study is, therefore, topical and relevant showing how unhealthy eating patterns have posed a great challenge to children’s health. “Young children eating a healthy meal together at lunchtime can improve their development and social skills” (Poulter & Laws 2015). For example, the Department of Health UK has started providing free healthy meal to the school going infants of year 1 and year 2 to improve their overall health. Moreover, mothers are also being suggested to breastfeed their young kids for the first two years in order to lessen the chances of obesity in their children (Poulter & Laws 2015). 2.0 Literature Review Obesity has become a serious medial issue in European countries (Moss et al. 2012). Obesity may lead to diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure or even cancer (Boseley 2014). Being overweight is considered to be a sign of the imminent cause of diseases in the UK. “The latest figures, for 2013/14, show that 19.1% of children in Year 6 (aged 10-11) were obese and a further 14.4% were overweight” (Public Health England 2015). As children grow up, their height and weight tend to vary widely in both boys and girls and this variation often makes it difficult to use a standard rate to diagnose obesity in children. The BMI (Body Mass Index) centile charts play a vital role in were developed specifically and determining whether a child is either overweight or underweight (Monasta et al. 2011). The BMI calculation helps teachers in organizing physical training programs for obese students. Teachers can also use this chart as an instructional tool and not just a check off way for students. The results of regular assessment assist teachers in the designing of the curriculum that focuses on working on the deficient areas. As Wilson (2011) states, “benefits of the Class Summary Results Report are both to assist physical educators in identifying fitness characteristics to target, and in tracking class progress toward improvement with pre/post assessment data” (p. 26). “Kids need 60 minutes of active play every day” (Tyler 2012, p. 1). Children who do less physical exercise when compared to others are more prone to the medical problem of obesity. Watching sports on television sets instead of playing on-field games is regarded as one of the main causes of obesity. A lack of exertion or physical movement makes the body inefficient in trying to decrease the rising levels of fat and cholesterol. “Childhood obesity can be a sensitive subject, especially if you have an overweight child” (Bullington 2011 p. 1).This statement is valid because obese children become unable to perform well in studies due to less interaction with peers and teachers. The alarming point is that parents usually do not pay attention to this issue because they have little or no awareness about the effects of unhealthy eating and exercise until their children become obese (Poulter & Laws 2015). 3.1 Nutrition Sedentary lifestyle and calorie-rich diet are the main causes of obesity in UK children (NHS Choices 2015). The proposed study attempts to see to what extent parents understand healthy eating in the UK; healthy eating has everything to do with nutrition, which encompasses food choices as well as food portions (quantity).With regard to food portion size, it is clear that they have steadily increased with time yet they need to reduce. Large portions of energy- dense foods increase the levels of energy in the body and so an increase in body weight becomes a probability. Smaller and healthy portions of diet and physical activity can work as a perfect match to reduce obesity in young children (Secretary of State for Health 2015). 3.2 Effects of Obesity Obesity has various effects on children in the age group of this study as discussed below. These effects can be classified into two categories: psychological effects and health effects. A psychological effect is low self-esteem, which is caused by bullying overweight children are likely to be victims of bullying (Harding 2015). A new development is that blood pressure is now affecting even young children as a result of obesity. This is extremely concern and so there is a need to intervene before obesity starts to kill young children before they live a fulfilled life. Besides high blood pressure, shortness of breath and Type 2 diabetes are also the effects of obesity (Public Health England 2015). “Obese children often go on to be obese adults, carrying with them an increased risk of heart disease and diabetes” (Roberts 2015). These diseases affect the child’s ability to engage in physical activity resetting a sedentary lifestyle (Harding 2015). Physical exercise and healthy eating are the two main prevention measures for obesity (Summerbell et al. 2012). “The engagement of children and adolescents in physical activity and sport is a fundamental goal of obesity prevention” (Hills, Andersen & Byrne 2011, p. 866). In this regard, parents have a huge role to play when it comes to monitoring their children’s diet, so as to promote healthy eating in an effort to prevent obesity. Therefore, research is needed to understand whether parents have an understanding of healthy diet for their children and what steps they are taking to prevent obesity among children. 4.0 Aim of the Study For this study, the hypothesis is that parents generally do not have sufficient knowledge of healthy eating nor of the weight of children between the age-range of 5-10 years. From this very study, there will be a need to focus on the following objectives so as to attain significance: i. To find out what foods are considered healthy by parents of Middlesex University ii. To identify what types and quantity of food children were exposed to before they became obese iii. To find out what parents of the Middlesex University do to prevent obesity among their children iv. To find out at what age between 5 years to 10 years do most children start unhealthy eating habits The research question that should be answered by this study is: ‘What is the role of foods and unhealthy eating habits in making young children obese and what steps can parents take to prevent this medical problem occurring in their children’. 5.0 Research Design 5.1 Selected Research Design Qualitative design will be suitable for this particular study because it will help in obtaining detailed information about the issue. “Qualitative research design is a research method used extensively by scientists and researchers studying human behavior and habits” (Shuttleworth 2008, p. 1). This type of research will help the researcher obtain an insight into the issue of parents’ knowledge and understanding of healthy eating habits and weight of their young children. This research design will also help in dealing with the value-laden research questions in an effective manner (Robson 2011). 5.2 Selected Population and Sampling Strategy In the proposed study, the researcher will study the responses of 10 parents from the Business Management and Healthcare Science degree programs and who would be full time students having 1 or more children of age 5-10 years. The sampling method to be used will be purposive sampling as it allows for the use of participants with a particular set of interests (Crossman n.d.). “A purposive sample, also commonly called a judgmental sample, is one that is selected based on the knowledge of a population and the purpose of the study” (Crossman n.d., p. 1). The respondents are often selected using this form of sampling as they have with them information that will be beneficial to the researcher; it is for this purpose that the focus group entails students who are parents as they will give information that is relevant and significant for the study. 5.3 Data Collection Strategy Given that the research is qualitative, the data has to be descriptive in nature as it is meant to adequately relay information that has comprehensive meaning (Shuttleworth 2008). An important aspect in qualitative research is to see to it that adequate field-notes are collected; nonetheless, data collection in this study will be on the basis of interviews. The people chosen for the interview will preferably be the parents who have graduated from the Middlesex University. The interviews will be conducted at the places chosen by the interviewees in order to make them feel valued by the researcher. As far as the duration of the interviews is concerned, each interview will take at least twenty minutes and responses will be recorded on a TAPE. The interviews will be structured so as to gather information that is specific to the participant being interviewed making the interviewer as non-directive as possible which is quite advantageous. Another major advantage of interviews is that they are recorded with the participants consent and reviewed later by the researcher for proper data collation. Interviews could however be limiting as a form of data collection method as they could be too costly in terms of travelling far and wide to interview participants and also the participants could time and keep rescheduling the interviews due to other commitments. 5.4 Data Analysis The researcher will collect data through interviews and study of existing literature and will store it in the personal computer system for analysis and preparation of a report. The data will be stored in the form of charts and tables because this will help in better analysis of data. ‘Induction’ will be used as the technique to analyze the data. The reasons for using the inductive approach include condensing raw data into a usable and informative summary, developing connections between the research findings and research objectives, and developing a conceptual framework of processes evident in the data gathered during the research (Thomas 2015). “The general inductive approach provides an easily used and systematic set of procedures for analyzing qualitative data that can produce reliable and valid findings” (Thomas 2015, p. 237). As far as the disadvantages of this approach are concerned, they include less reliability for model or theory development and requirement of strong knowledge of data analysis. However, this approach provides a straightforward platform for deriving research findings using focused evaluation questions. With references to validity, interviews are prone to being invalid as they are based on what people say rather than what they do; therefore, chances are that what they say and what they do may not tally (Bell & Waters 2014). 5.5 Ethical Considerations In research, ethics cannot be dispensed with. The ethical consideration for this particular research topic will be the privacy of information provided by the participants. All participants’ data will be treated in confidence by ensuring them that their personal information will not be used elsewhere. There will be a confidential form issued with the questionnaire signed by the researcher to ensure that the obtained information will be used only for this particular research. The possible ethical issues in this study are as follows: No participant should suffer harm as a result of the research be it emotionally, physically or mentally (Cunningham, Weathington & Pittenger 2013). Therefore, when collecting data, there is a need to see to it that participants are fully aware of what the research entails and hence an informed consent should be secured. Confidentiality must be assured so as to protect participant participation and thus during the publication of findings the participants’ personal identification information at all costs should not be disclosed. Anonymity will be kept intact all through the research whether it would be the stage of data collection, data analysis, or results finding in order to ensure complete protection of the participants’ privacy. References Bell, J & Waters, S 2014, Doing your research project: a guide for first time researchers, 6thedn, Open University Press, New York. Bowling, A 2014,Research Methods in Health: Investigating health and health services, 4thedn, Open University Press, United Kingdom. Bullington, M 2011, Help Kids Lose Weight - Save Self Esteem, viewed 28 June 2015, http://ezinearticles.com/?Help-Kids-Lose-Weight---Save-Self-Esteem&id=6684974 Canoy, D & Bundred, P 2011, ‘Obesity in children’, BMJ Clinical Evidence, vol. 2011, 0325, viewed 28 June 2015, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3217765/ Crossman, A n.d., Purposive Sample, viewed 28 June 2015, http://sociology.about.com/od/Types-of-Samples/a/Purposive-Sample.htm Cunningham, C, Weathington, B & Pittenger, D 2013, Understanding and conducting research in health sciences, John Wiley & Sons, New York. Harding, M 2015,Obesity and Overweight in Children, British Nutrition Foundation, United Kingdom. Hills, A, Andersen, L & Byrne, N 2011, ‘Physical activity and obesity in children’, Br J Sports Med, vol. 45, no. 11, pp. 866-870. Monasta, L, Lobstein, T, Cole, T, Vignerova, J & Cattaneo, A, 2011, ‘Defining overweight and obesity in pre-school children: IOTF reference or WHO standard?’, Obesity Reviews, vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 295-300. Moss, A, Klenk, J, Simon, K, Thaiss, H, Reinehr, T & Wabitsch, M 2012, ‘Declining prevalence rates for overweight and obesity in German children starting school’, European Journal of Pediatrics, vol. 171, no. 2, pp. 289-299. NHS Choices 2015, ‘Child obesity rates are stabilizing’, NHS, http://www.nhs.uk/news/2015/01January/Pages/Child-obesity-rates-are-stabilising.aspx PIHD 2015, ‘Living Well for Longer: One year on’, Department of Health UK, https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/416442/Living_Well_for_Longer_-_One_year_on__March_2015_.pdf Polgar, S & Thomas, S 2013,Introduction to research in health sciences, 5thedn, Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, China. Poulter, D & Laws, D 2015, ‘2010 to 2015 government policy: children’s health’, Department of Health UK, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2010-to-2015-government-policy-childrens-health/2010-to-2015-government-policy-childrens-health Public Health England 2015, ‘Child Obesity’, Public Health England, http://www.noo.org.uk/NOO_about_obesity/child_obesity Public Health England 2015, ‘Health Risks of Childhood Obesity’, Public Health England, https://www.noo.org.uk/NOO_about_obesity/obesity_and_health/health_risk_child Roberts, M 2015, ‘UK children becoming obese at younger ages', BBC News. . Robson, C 2011, Real world research: a resource for users of social research methods in APPLIED settings, 3rdedn, Wiley, New York. Secretary of State for Health 2015, ‘Government response to the House of Commons Health Select Committee report on the Impact of physical activity and diet on health, Sixth Report of Session 2014-15’, Department of Health, https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/445984/Cm_9001_accessible.pdf Shuttleworth, M 2008, Qualitative Research Design, viewed 28 June 2015, https://explorable.com/qualitative-research-design Summerbell, C, Moore, H, Vogele, C, Kreichauf, S, Wildgruber, A, Manios, Y, Douthweaite, W, Nixon, C & Gibson, E 2012, ‘Evidence-based recommendations for the development of obesity prevention programs targeted at preschool children’, Obesity Reviews, vol. 13, no. s1, pp. 129-132. Thomas, D 2015, ‘A general inductive approach for analyzing qualitative evaluation data’, American Journal of Evaluation, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 237-246. Tyler, J 2012, Controlling Obesity in Babies and Children, viewed 28 June 2015, http://ezinearticles.com/?Controlling-Obesity-In-Babies-and-Children&id=7349227 Voon, T, Mitchelle, A & Liberman, J 2014, Regulating Tobacco, Alcohol and Unhealthy Foods, Routledge, Abingdon. Wilson, P 2011, ‘Discovering the hidden treasures of physical best and Fitnessgram’, Strategies, vol. 24, no. 4, pp. 25-29. 7.0 Appendixes Appendix 1: Interview Schedule First is to appreciate your consent to participate in this study as an interviewee; this research is on finding out how much parents in the Country understand healthy eating and weight among their children. This information is being collected so as to enlighten the parents on the role they need to play in fostering healthy eating habits in their children so as to combat children obesity in the Country. The interview should last about 20 minutes; I will be writing down your responses as we proceed. With that said and done, are you still willing to be interviewed? i. Tell me, which types of food do you consider healthy or nutritious? ........................... ………………………………………………………………………………………… ii. Do you think a child between age 5 and 10 is able to make healthy choices pertaining to the food they eat?................................................................................................................. ……………………………………………………………………………………………… iii. Do you think children need their parent’s guidance on what to eat? …………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………… iv. What kinds of food would you want to see a 7 year old eating? ………………………. …………………………………………………………………………………………… v. Tell me; at what age do you think children between 5 and 10 start to eat unhealthy foods and for what reason? ……………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… vi. According to you what causes obesity among children? …………………………………. ............................................................................................................................................... vii. Do you think a child constantly eating fruits and vegetables and less sugar and fats is likely to turn out obese? ………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………… viii. Do you think and in what ways are parents contributing to unhealthy eating habits and rapid weight gain among their children? ………………………………………………….. …………………………………………………………………………………………….. ix. What do you think needs to be done to combat unhealthy eating among children? ……… ……………………………………………………………………………….,……………. Thank You for your Time and Participation Appendix two: Participant Information Sheet Project Exploring parent knowledge and understanding of healthy eating and weight of children ages 5-10 years old Invitation This is to request your participation on this study that aims at exploring parent knowledge and understanding of healthy eating and weight of children ages 5-10 years old. I am a University Student and this is part of my education requirements. The reasons as to why this study is important and hence needs your participation is because; first, it wants to find out what foods are considered healthy by Middlesex parents in University. Secondly, too identify what types and quantity of food children are exposed to before they became obese. Thirdly to find out what parents in the UK are doing to prevent obesity among their children and lastly to find out at what age between 5 and 10 do most children in the UK start to practice unhealthy eating habits. Expectations In this study you will be asked to fill in a questionnaire that will require you to put down answers that are related to the questions asked with relation to the study. Additionally you will also be required to avail some time when you can be interviewed on your thoughts pertaining to the study: Exploring parent knowledge and understanding of healthy eating and weight of children ages 5-10 years old. The questions asked will be open ended thus requiring your personal input with relation to the study. Time commitment The study will run from September to June this year; therefore your participation could be in any of the months .This study requiring the filling in of a questionnaire and a one on one interview will also require that you set aside some time. The filling in of the questionnaire could take a maximum of 15 minutes but is mostly dependent on how fast you can write; the interview on the other hand is scheduled to take 20 minutes but could take an extra or less 5 minutes depending on the speed as well. The questionnaire and interview will only require a single session thus a total of 40 minutes from your side on a day most suitable for you between September and May. Participant’s rights As a participant you are entitled to all of the following: i. To withdraw one’s participation from the study at any given point without giving an explanation as to why; while also to demand access to the data that you had given towards the study ii. To ask as many questions as possible pertaining to the study and the processes to be applied iii. To refuse to answer any questions that you find offensive or make you uncomfortable. Benefits and Risks As at now there are no outright benefits or risks for you in this study. Cost or Compensation This study to begin with is voluntary but there will be a small token of appreciation. Confidentiality The data to be collected in the study does not have any personal information (name) that could be linked back to you (address or residence) in any possible way. Nonetheless, the findings of the study will be used in conferences and initiatives meant to raise necessary awareness pertaining to healthy eating. Informed Consent By signing this sheet you are agreeing that: you have read and understood the participant information sheet, you have been answered satisfactorily about the study and your participation is voluntary. Partcicpant’s Name ..................................................................................................... Participant’s Signature......................................................Date............................................ Person obtaining Consent ..................................................... Signature................................. Appendix 3: Letter Request for Ethical Approval To Whom It May Concern: Re: Letter Request for Ethical Approval I am writing with regard to getting ethical approval to take part in an international survey entitled “Exploring Parent Knowledge and Understanding of Healthy Eating and Weight of Childhood Ages 5-10 Years Old”. In conducting this research, data collection will be conducted as a routine care. However, no participants identifiers will be entered on any web, as the entering of data will not be through web-based data collection system. This thus confirms the fact that participants confidentiality will not at any time be breached. I believe that this study carries major ethical concern and there is not much risk that come with participation for all the key stakeholders. If following review of this data, the committee feels that an ethics submission should be forwarded to the committee for further consideration, it highly advocate that you contact me for the provision of the necessary forms and documents. I appreciate in advance for the consideration. I look forward to a personal interview as we discuss the same. Yours sincerely Task Monthly Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun LITERATURE REVIEW Deciding the topic Research design Sample Populsation Ethical approval Data Collection tools Data analysis Appendix 4 Appendix 5: cost estimation ACTIVITY COST in Pounds POPULATION SAMPLING 66 DATA COLLECTION (Interviews) (Questionnaires) 198 330 DATA ANALYSIS 462 TOTAL 1056 \ Read More