IS CHILD OBESITY A REFLECTION ON PARENTHOOD
Child obesity is rising around the world. Obesity is being observed at a younger age of children than in the past. There are many factors that have led to this trend. This paper seeks to examine one of these factors; parents’ connection to child obesity. It seeks to establish whether there is a substantive relationship and if it is there, to what extent does it cause obesity in children. The paper uses various data collection methods and analysis techniques to cover the issue.
Keywords: Child Obesity, Parents, BMI
The study will seek to prove or disprove the hypotheses. Participants will be of different categories. The main participants will be children between the age of 8 and twelve. This is the age that a child is growing and changing most (Ricardo, Seidell, Swinburn & Waters, 2010). It is also the period where the onset of obesity is best observed. Many adult obese people were obese or overweight at this age. The gender or race of the participants is irrelevant to this study. The other group of participants will be the parents of the children involved in the study. These parents are not only important as guardians for the children but also as participants. The study seeks to establish the parents’ role in the level of BMI of their children. Parents are therefore important to the study. The age and race of the parents will not be factors. The children are the main test subjects of the study, their parents are just the variables. The study will have a sample population of 40 participants. This is an efficient representation of the entire population been studied.
The participants will be recruited from the local school register. Selection of participants will be random. The study will use random sampling methods to select participants from the registry of local school going children. The sampling will follow the age restriction of the children. The selected sample will each be requested to take a permission slip to their parents for a request to participate in the study. The permission letter will include a request by for the parent to participate in with their children. The study will use variable of Parents and BMI.
All participating children will be divided into three groups; normal weight, overweight children and obese children. The children themselves won’t be physically separated. The collection of data will take place in way that will ensure this separation. The parents will be attached to the groups of their children. Separation of the children into different groups will be for easier handling of data collected. Before allocating groups we will measure the BMI of all children to be able to allocate the groupings.
The survey will be voluntary. We will request the parents to participate in their own time whenever they feel free. If children are promised gifts for doing something, more often than not they change from their normal self mostly to impress the surveyor responsible. This would lead to wrong data and consequently wrong inferences. We have therefore decided that it is best to perform a voluntary participation survey.
The survey will be dealing with weight and nutrition issues. The children and their parents will undergo various tests in the field. The study will require several machines and equipment. Computers, weighing machines and measuring equipment will be needed to collect data from the participants. The study will also require a statistician to take the data collected and make sense of it, analyze it. Materials required will include; stationery, nutritional charts, writing materials and recording devices. Most of these will be used during the study itself and later in the analysis part. The recording devices will be necessary to record interviews from the participants, so as to be accurate about their responses. Whenever there is doubt about certain responses, the sound recorders will allow for listening again to correct the mistake.
The study will administer a couple of tests on the participants. The most prominent tests that will be conducted on all participants will be weighing and measuring heights. These two components lead to the calculation of BMI, to identify which grouping each participant will be allocated. The study will provide meals when it inconveniences the participants. It will, therefore, need food supplies for the participants and the staff carrying out the study.
Procedure
The study will make use of a mix of data collection methods. It will use observation for the BMI measurements; carry out structured and semi structured interviews; administer questionnaires and use secondary sources of data such as public records.
Observation will be the first method used. When each child comes in with his or her parent, they will first get weighed and height measured to calculate the BMI. The parent will also follow this procedure. When the BMIs are all measured, the children will be allocated groups according to preconceived attributes. This allocation will not be literal so the subjects will not notice the separation. Questionnaires will then be administered to the parents. The questionnaires will have mostly closed ended questions with multiple choice answers. This is to ease the work of analysis and come up with quantitative data showing the child’s development from birth to now. The interviews will be conducted, first on the children then on their parents. The interviews will have very easy questions, created for the children to easily comprehend. They will have mostly multiple choice questions but with some leeway for explanation. This additional data will allow the researcher to understand the context of the participants so as to draw the collect conclusions from the data collected. Questionnaires will differ between parents and their children. The study will be carried out in a facility provided by the local education authorities.
Expected Findings
It is expected that for most parents who are obese, their children are also obese. There is genetic predisposition that puts such a child at a greater risk of obesity than others. In these cases the parents’ role is more natural than behavioral. Parents found to be stun and strict on rules, will have obese or overweight children. The same is true for parents who are overprotective of their children. Another expected finding is that for almost all obese and overweight children, the primary caretaker will be the mother. This is true because the mothers will either care too much about their children or be strict with rules especially those that deal with nutrition and feeding. Fathers are expected to be passive when it comes to the nutrition of their children.
Ricardo, U., Seidell, J., Swinburn, B. & Waters, E. (2010). Preventing Childhood Obesity:
Evidence Policy and Practice. Mississippi: University of Mississippi
