Public health is concerned with preventing injury or disease and prolonging life through research. Data collected from different communities is used to determine disease prevalence and possible risk factors. This information is utilized to develop policies to prevent or reduce disease incidence.
Overview of Database
In 2012, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) carried out the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey whereby youth fitness data was collected among children aged between 3 and 15 years. Demographic data such as socioeconomic status, country of birth, nutrition, health history and level of education was also collected (CDC, 2012). Demographic information was important to this survey as a person’s background determines the nature of his or her health practices. 15.2 % of the participants were Mexican, 15% were Hispanic, 39% Caucasian, 22.6% African-American and 8.2% were other races. The children were divided into different age groups 3-5, 6-11 and 12-15. The total percentage of participants aged between 3 and 5 was 22.4, the percentage of children aged between 6 and 11 was 46.5 and 31.1% for children aged between 12-15 years.
The objective of the study was to improve children’s lifestyles and reduce obesity. The interviews were conducted in the home setting. They took different tests depending on the age groups. The interviews required fitness information such as the intensity and frequency of physical activity among these children. The survey found that children aged between 3 and 15 had little core muscle vitality. However, they appeared to have good upper-body muscle potency (CDC, 2012, p. 5).
The weight of the participants determined their muscle strength. According to Ervin et al. (2014), the link between the participant’s weight and level of muscle strength differed depending on the kind of exercise. An evident trait identified from the data was that heavy children experienced more strain when shifting their weight compared children with less weight. The grip strength and knee extension exercises revealed an opposite trend. The results showed that the pressure applied on the knee extension and grip strength exercise amplified with increase in the child's weight. It was concluded that the overweight children did better than the average-weight children did. For this reason, children are encouraged to perform daily exercises to maintain a healthy weight.
The children also participated in a dietary call exercise in which they provided information regarding the types of food and beverage they consumed 24 hours before the interview. According to Sassé, (2009) diet and exercise are important because they contribute to a child’s course of growth and development (p.14).
Public Health interventions can greatly improve the children’s quality of life. Different intervention programs provide different approaches to preventing and reducing obesity. Interventions based on both diet and exercises are the most efficient. For efficient intervention, the public health officers must first determine the contributing factors. The most effective intervention program is family based. According to Barkin, Gesell, Po’e, Escarfuller, and Tempesti (2012), members of a family are able to positively influence each other’s behaviour. Parents control their children’s’ diet and physical activity schedules in line with the guidelines provided by the public health officers.
Ethical Guidelines
When collecting data, researchers should be careful to observe data collection ethics. These guidelines are important in protecting the rights of the participants. For instance, when approaching a potential participant, researchers should disclose the nature of the exercise and allow the person to decide whether to participate (CDC, 2012, p. 3). Participants should sign informed consent documents before taking part in the exercise. The researchers should maintain the confidentiality of the participant.
Different laws govern participant confidentiality. For example, the Public Health Service Act states that information collected for one purpose should not be used for another purpose unless that participant gives consent. Additionally, the information should not be published in a way risking the exposure of the participant’s identity (CDC, 2012, p. 3).
Confidentiality
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) was signed into law in 1996. It stipulates that an individual’s health information that can be used to identify the patient should be protected. Such information includes a person’s physical and mental health status and healthcare provision. This information can be protected by applying security measures to prevent unauthorized access to hospital databases (Gostin, Levit & Nass, 2009). Additionally, information concerning a patient’s payment for health care should be protected. The act protects patient confidentiality. Information disclosed to a doctor during consultation should not be disclosed to others.
According to thus rule, employers are allowed to access a patient’s health information. However, the availability of health information to insurers and employers poses a risk to the patient. Employers can discriminate against a person based on his or her medical condition.
Conclusion
Although public health officers collect information essential to preventing further spread of disease, they risk disclosing the information to unauthorized personnel. To prevent such irregularities, the researchers should apply ethical guidelines during data collection. Like the hospital setting, the public officers should not use data for a different purpose than it was intended for unless the participant gives consent. Laws governing privacy and ethics protect the citizens as they can sue the researchers for releasing confidential information.
References
Barkin, S. L., Gesell, S. B., Po’e, E. K., Escarfuller, J., & Tempesti, T. (2012). Culturally tailored, family-centered, behavioral obesity intervention for Latino-American preschool- aged children. Pediatrics, 130(3), 445-456. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4074623/
Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC. (2012). National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey: National Youth Fitness Survey Plan, Operations, and Analysis, 2012 Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_02/sr02_163.pdf
Ervin, R. B., Fryar, C. D., Wang, C.-Y., Miller, I. M., & Ogden, C. L. (2014). Strength and Body Weight in US Children and Adolescents. Pediatrics, 134(3), e782–e789. http://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2014-0794
Gostin, L. O., Levit, L. A., & Nass, S. J. (Eds.). (2009). Beyond the HIPAA privacy rule: enhancing privacy, improving health through research. National Academies Press.
Sassé, M. (2009). Smart Start: How Exercise Can Transform Your Child's Life. Exisle Publishing.
