The article “Prevalence of obesity and severe obesity in US children, 1999–2016” by Skinner, Ravanbakht, Skelton, Perrin and Armstrong (2018) analyses trends in obesity among children and adolescents over the past two years. The adverse health effects associated with obesity highlight the need for a better understanding of the condition, especially among young people. With reports of obesity trends increasing in the US over the past four decades, there is a need to gain an in-depth understanding of the problem to inform strategies of overcoming the issue.
Research Problem
Child and adolescent obesity statistics reports in recent times differ on the trends, with some indicating that trends have stabilized over the past decades while others point to an increase in cases (Skinner, Ravanbakht, Skelton, Perrin & Armstrong, 2018). Lack of consensus over the trends undermines efforts to curb the obesity problem since researchers, care providers, and public health officials are unable to ascertain the effectiveness of current strategies. Similarly, there are contradicting reports on obesity cases among young children, mainly pre-school, with some pointing to decreases while other generalizing this age-group among the young people where obesity trends are assumed to have stabilized. As such, the researchers sought to solve the problem of lack of relevant and valid data about the prevalence and severity of obesity among young people between the ages of 2 and 19 years by age and ethnicity in the United States?
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Notably, the researchers rely on existing knowledge on the topic to identify gaps that they seek to fill in their study. The study is therefore critical to the advancement of knowledge on obesity, which will then inform decisions on the formulation of strategies to solve the issue. The issue of obesity is not just relevant to nursing but also affects other related professions such as psychology, medicine, psychiatry, public health, among others. The researcher clearly stated the purpose of the study under its objective as to update data on the prevalence of obesity among young people between the ages of 2 and 19 years using a sample that is representative of the national population (Skinner, Ravanbakht, Skelton, Perrin & Armstrong, 2018).
Review of Literature
The literature review mainly focused on three significant aspects, previous research on childhood obesity trends in the United States, criteria for analyses of BMI scores, and previous and existing efforts to reduce childhood obesity. The study noted that there were contradicting reports with some researchers reporting sharp increases in obesity among all age groups since 1988, while others stabilization in prevalence rates except in children between 2-5 years. There were also findings concerning increases in severe obesity among adolescents and non-Hispanic African Americans (Skinner, Ravanbakht, Skelton, Perrin & Armstrong, 2018). Due to the irregularity of results caused by different criteria for measuring obesity, the researchers settled for the CDC recommended criterion, which classifies obesity as into three different classes. The researchers also noted that existing efforts at reducing obesity have not been successful hence emphasized the need for policy changes. The researchers relied on current references in the literature review with most of the studies conducted in the past ten years since the present study publication.
Theoretical Framework
The researchers identify the need for updated data on obesity prevalence among young people in the United States to assist caregivers and policymakers in developing more effective strategies for controlling the problem. Their initiative is in line with the objectives in nursing theory, which seeks to utilize evidence in developing ideas to improve care delivery. Although the researchers do not state any specific theory that relates to their study, the ecological theory of obesity suits their line of inquiry. The theory argues that increasing prevalence in obesity is due to environmental factors as opposed to genetic problems (Quick et al., 2019). Environmental factors and policy direction are significant contributors to obesity prevalence in any given population.
Variables/Hypotheses/Questions/Assumptions
The researcher utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), including the height, weight, age, and sex of children aged between 2 and 19 years from 1999 to 2016. The dependent variables, in this case, are the height and weight of the participants, while the dependent variables are the age and sex of participants. The variable is necessary for calculating the BMI of the participants, which will then determine obesity prevalence. The researcher hypothesized that public health initiatives have not been effective going by upward trends in obesity and severe obesity prevalence rates especially pre-school children
Methodology
The researcher utilized quantitative methods for their study. The data was acquired from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) hence making it secondary data. NHANES provides national data on health and nutrition by conducting surveys every two tears. Probability sampling was well suited for the study due to a large amount of data, and the long period (1999-216). Using inductive reasoning, the researcher sought to prove their hypothesis by analyzing data from the chosen sample. Considering the validity and reliability of the measurement tools, the variables height, weight, age, and sex are specific to the individuals hence making them highly reliable. Furthermore, BMI measurements are reliable indicators of the obesity of an individual. Hence, the validity of the measurement tool lies in the fact that they represent the variables. The selection of de-identified data for use in the study was crucial since the variables could not be traced to their real owner, thus fulfilling the ethics of such a study.
Data Analysis
The researchers utilized regression analysis to study the relationships between the dependent and independent variables by finding p values. The researchers presented the results according to the percentage of obese individuals in the age groups as well as their demographic characteristics. The researchers found an increase in obesity with age, with 41.5% of the study sample of adolescents between 16 and 19 years either being overweight or obese (Skinner, Ravanbakht, Skelton, Perrin & Armstrong, 2018).
Conclusions, Implications, and Recommendations
Among the critical strengths of the study is that the NHANES data utilized represents and national sample, which can provide a clear picture of obesity prevalence in the studied groups. The researchers, however, note that there are limitations in the sample sizes, which does not allow for detailed analysis in the subgroups. Furthermore, data from NHANES are cross-sectional; hence it is impossible to study changes within the child over the period. Generalization of the study findings is possible since the sample utilized by the researcher is part of the national data that NHANES collects.
These findings and conclusions have significant implications for nursing practice. Increased prevalence in obesity among young people means that they are at risk of its adverse effects such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Hence, patient education is key to ensuring that these young people maintain a healthy diet while at the same time, staying fit. Sharp increases in obesity o=prevalence in school going children highlights the need for caregivers to educate parents on the best nutrition practices for their children. High prevalence in black non-Hispanic children means that they are at higher risk than other racial groups; thus, care must focus on protecting these particular groups.
References
Quick, V., Martin-Biggers, J., Povis, G. A., Hongu, N., Worobey, J., & Byrd-Bredbenner, C. (2017). A socio-ecological examination of weight-related characteristics of the home environment and lifestyles of households with young children. Nutrients , 9 (6), 604. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu9060604
Skinner, A. C., Ravanbakht, S. N., Skelton, J. A., Perrin, E. M., & Armstrong, S. C. (2018). Prevalence of obesity and severe obesity in US children, 1999–2016. Pediatrics , 141 (3), e20173459. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2017-3459
