Introduction
Topic
- Research question: What are the effects of racial or ethnic backgrounds on trends in childhood obesity in the United States?
- Working thesis: There has been a global upsurge of childhood obesity which is caused by imbalances in caloric intake and utilization, both of which are dependent on behavioral factors such as diet and physical activity alongside environmental and genetic factors.
- Angle: Childhood obesity has been identified as one of the global concerns of public health. The condition increases the risk of suffering chronic illnesses which could be further carried into adulthood and reduces the life expectancy of individual children. Given its varied causal factors, the prevention of childhood obesity requires both clinical and community-oriented approaches.
Context
- The outcome of the research will provide evidence-based guidance on the required policies and interventions to help manage childhood obesity in the United States, contributing to reduced disease burden and increasing the health of the children in the general population.
- Despite being a beginner in the world of academia and research, I have a keen interest in advancing my skill in population health research. I will utilize different sources in order to anchor my research on the existing body of knowledge and grant it more credibility. In my research, I utilize the ideas of Higgins (2012), Santoro (2013), and Wells (2011) who are experts in this field to obtain authority to address the issues in the research.
Audience
- My primary audience will be community health personnel whose work focuses on improving the health of the community among other policymakers and families who have children at risk of developing childhood obesity.
- My secondary audience includes my tutors and my classmates who may also have an interest in understanding how to manage the growing global issue.
- My audience is interested in the outcome of my research as they share the concern that childhood obesity is becoming a public health issue of great concern.
Evidence
Research gathered so far
I have so far gathered research that supports the idea that there could be elements of genetics influencing the spread of childhood obesity. Governments are concerned with the development of policies that are aimed at establishing control of childhood obesity albeit by taking preventative measures.
Research to be gathered
I will gather information and data to illustrate the variations in the spread of childhood obesity among persons of different races and ethnicity and how it varies between the different States. I will also gather information from experts who have indicated that there is a need to carry out policy reviews to address the issue of childhood obesity from a community perspective. I will also include the opposing views by juxtaposing the information provided in graphical representation alongside the information
I find out. In the research, I will also allocate a section where I discuss and give the scientific data that supports the opposing views and how this can be evaluated further.
Conclusion
I propose that getting an understanding of the role of genetic and environmental predisposition on childhood obesity will propel the process of managing this condition even further. This approach will make policymakers and community health experts gain a more central role in combating the disease and preventing further spread. From the findings of the research, a policy perspective on the required solutions will emerge and help to address the issue nationally. Adopting a preventative approach to the challenge of childhood obesity will help to reduce the economic burden that is brought about by the complications emerging from the disease. I will require approval to access data on the patients who have been managed for childhood obesity in order to process the research.
Article Response
The use of APA in the documentation of ideas in writing is preferred as it simplifies the work of editors as every researcher uses the same format for the same publication. The format also makes it easy for the readers to comprehend the texts as it presents information in a familiar structure that they can follow. When APA is used, the writer can provide the readers with information that has cues that they can be in a position to follow and locate the ideas in the research more efficiently. The standardization also ensures that the readers can focus on the material of the articles since no distractions are emanating from a non-familiar format. One of the roles of the in-text citations as used in APA is to protect against plagiarism by crediting the other authors whose ideas have been used to generate one’s work. The in-text citations also help to position a researcher as an authority in their field by demonstrating their awareness of the different issues that are taking place in their area of expertise. An example of an in-text citation from the article from the week two assignments is evident when the author mentions that “according to Huen et al. (4), minorities such as Mexican Americans are disproportionately affected by obesity” (Asieba, 2016, p. 3)
In APA formatting, there are times when an author needs to quote the material directly as written in the source that they reviewed. The need stems from the fact that some information is more authoritative when cited verbatim. For example in the article reviewed for week two, there are instances where the author opted to quote directly from their source. An illustration includes the citation where the author mentions that “weight status assessment and monitoring, healthy lifestyle promotion, treatment, clinician skill development, clinic infrastructure development, community program referrals, community health education, multisectoral community initiatives, and policy advocacy” (Asieba, 2016, p. 3).
References
Asieba, I. (2016). Racial/ethnic trends in childhood obesity in the United States. Childhood Obesity, 1(1), 1-6.
Higgins, V. D. (2012). Ethnicity and childhood overweight/obesity in England. Pediatric Obesity, 7, e22-26.
Santoro, N. (2013). Childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes: The frightening epidemic. World Journal of Pediatrics, 9, 101-102.
Wells, J. (2011). How should pediatricians in India address behaviour patterns associated with childhood obesity? Indian Journal of Pediatrics, 48, 763-764.