Search the GCU Library and find one new health care article that uses quantitative research.
Search the GCU Library and find one new health care article that uses quantitative research. Do not use an article from a previous assignment, or that appears in the Topic Materials or textbook.
Complete an article analysis and ethics evaluation of the research using the “Article Analysis and Evaluation of Research Ethics” template. See Chapter 5 of your textbook as needed, for assistance.
While APA style is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and documentation of sources should be presented using APA formatting guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
Expert Answer and Explanation
Article Analysis and Evaluation of Research Ethics
| Article Citation and Permalink (APA format) | Article 1 Espeland, M. A., Lipska, K., Miller, M. E., Rushing, J., Cohen, R. A., Verghese, J., … & Pahor, M. (2017). Effects of physical activity intervention on physical and cognitive function in sedentary adults with and without diabetes. The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, 72(6), 861-866. https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glw179 |
| Point | Description |
| Broad Topic Area/Title | Effects of physical activity intervention on physical and cognitive function in sedentary adults with and without diabetes |
| Problem Statement (What is the problem research is addressing?) | More than a quarter of the US aging population suffer from diabetes mellitus. This condition has increased their chances of developing geriatric syndromes. Medication alone have not entirely reduced the effects of the condition. That said, this study has addressed physical activity and its effects on diabetic patients. |
| Purpose Statement (What is the purpose of the study?) | The purpose of this study was to explore the “effects of physical activity intervention on physical and cognitive function in sedentary adults with and without diabetes.”
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| Research Questions (What questions does the research seek to answer?) | The researchers used one primary research question to guide the study. The research question was “what are the effects of physical activity intervention on physical and cognitive function in sedentary adults with and without diabetes?” |
| Define Hypothesis (Or state the correct hypothesis based upon variables used) | Apart from the research question, a hypothesis was created to guide the study. The hypothesis for this study was that “the intervention may have different effects on physical and cognitive function, depending on individuals’ diabetes status.” |
| Identify Dependent and Independent Variables and Type of Data for the Variables | Two main variables were included in the study. The first variable is independent variable. This variable was represented by physical activity intervention. This variable belongs to quantitative data type. The second variable is dependent variable. It is represented by sedentary adults with and without diabetes. Its data type is categorical. |
| Population of Interest for Study | Researchers must identify the people or other populations targeted by their study. In this research, the target or population of interest were 65 years and above sedentary adults with and without diabetes. |
| Sample | The respondents in the research were 1,476 70–89 years old sedentary individuals who could walk for about 400 meters in 15 minutes regardless of their extreme inability to conduct daily function. |
| Sampling Method | Researchers must indicate how they conducted their sampling method to validate if the study was fair or not. In this research, random sampling approach was used to sample and select the participants for the study. |
| Identify Data Collection Identify how data were collected | Identifying a data collection instrument is vital because it can help in analyzing the research to determine its reliability and validity. Researchers in this study collected data using interviews as their main data collection instrument. |
| Summarize Data Collection Approach | The researchers collected data by administering three computer-based cognitive tests at either 18 or 30 months and at baseline, depending on when the respondents were included in the study. The interviewer-administered tests included the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III Digit Symbol Coding test (DSC), the Modified MiniMental State Exam (3MSE), and the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLT-D). |
| Discuss Data Analysis Include what types of statistical tests were used for the variables. | Descriptive analysis was used as the method to analyze data in the study. The authors analyzed data by comparing measures of cognitive and physical functions and baseline risk factors with diabetes groups and intervention based on the analyses of logistic regression and variance. |
| Summarize Results of Study | 90.3% of the participants successfully completed the study making it results reliable. The Lifestyle Interventions and Independence for Elders (LIFE) reduced the participants’ risk of developing major mobility conditions by increasing their physical activities. Physical activity alone was found to be beneficial because it increased the participants’ mobility speed but did not have effects on their cognitive health. However, LIFE has both cognitive and physical impacts. |
| Summary of Assumptions and Limitations Identify the assumptions and limitations from the article. Report other potential assumptions and limitations of your review not listed by the author. | The first limitation of the study is that it cannot be used to represent general population because few participants volunteered to participate. The second limitation is that the timeframe assigned the project was limited and could not be used to provide maximum results. The last limitation is that diabetes was underdiagnosed in the study. |
Ethical Considerations
The first ethical consideration that may have occurred when sampling was informed consent. Informed consent is an ethical consideration that ensures that the researchers have not forced the participants to participate (Moore, Munguia Gomez & Levine, 2019). In other words, the element ensures that participants have voluntarily participated in the study. In the informed consent form, the researchers are ethically required to tell the respondents the purpose of the study, its importance, and how it will be used to improve healthcare. Another ethical consideration that might have occurred in the study was approved.
Moore et al. (2019) mention that researchers should seek approval from relevant bodies before they initiate the project. The researchers mentioned that the intervention was approved by all sites’ institutional review boards. Approval should be sought to ensure that the research will not harm the participants in any way.
In terms of publishing results, privacy and confidentiality consideration occurred. The participants were provided with confidentiality forms to sign. In the form, the researchers were required to mention the information that will see the light and the ones that will be viewed by only authorized personnel. The privacy consideration was designed to stop the researchers from forcing the participants from sharing their private data. The respondents are liberty to give information they feel comfortable sharing.
When analyzing data, the researchers were required to be fair and accurate. In other words, data analysis was to be accurate, valid, and fair (Moore et al., 2019). The last ethical consideration was the declaration of interest. The authors did not show anywhere in the paper that there was no conflict of interest.
References
Espeland, M. A., Lipska, K., Miller, M. E., Rushing, J., Cohen, R. A., Verghese, J., … & Pahor, M. (2017). Effects of physical activity intervention on physical and cognitive function in sedentary adults with and without diabetes. The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, 72(6), 861-866. https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glw179
Moore, A. K., Munguia Gomez, D. M., & Levine, E. E. (2019). Everyday dilemmas: New directions on the judgment and resolution of benevolence–integrity dilemmas. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 13(7), e12472. https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12472
Alternative Answer and Explanation
Article Analysis and Evaluation of Research Ethics
| Article Citation and Permalink (APA format) | Article 1 Adab, P., Pallan, M. J., Lancashire, E. R., Hemming, K., Frew, E., Barrett, T., … & Daley, A. (2018). Effectiveness of a childhood obesity prevention programme delivered through schools, targeting 6 and 7 year olds: cluster randomized controlled trial (WAVES study). bmj, 360, k211. Permalink: doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k211 |
| Point | Description |
| Broad Topic Area/Title | Effectiveness of a childhood obesity prevention programme delivered through schools, targeting 6 and 7 year olds: cluster randomized controlled trial (WAVES study)
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| Problem Statement (What is the problem research is addressing?) | The research focused on childhood obesity which was termed as a major burden for children both physically and psychologically. The research went further to indicate that childhood obesity in most instances, later leads to adulthood obesity which becomes a health concern affecting the lifestyle and health of an individual. The research therefore wanted to consider ways of dealing with childhood obesity using prevention programs delivered through schools. |
| Purpose Statement (What is the purpose of the study?) | The research was purposed on assessing the effectiveness of a school and family based healthy lifestyle program (WAVES intervention) compared with usual practice, in preventing childhood obesity. |
| Research Questions (What questions does the research seek to answer?) | Though the research question was not explicitly stated, from the topic of the study, the question which was likely used was; Is school and family based healthy lifestyle program (WAVES intervention) more effective than usual practice in prevention of childhood obesity? |
| Define Hypothesis (Or state the correct hypothesis based upon variables used) | H0 school and family based healthy lifestyle program (WAVES intervention) is less effective than usual practice in prevention of obesity H1 school and family based healthy lifestyle program (WAVES intervention) is more effective than usual practice in prevention of obesity |
| Identify Dependent and Independent Variables and Type of Data for the Variables | Dependent Variable: Prevention of childhood obesity Type of data Nominal data Independent: school and family based healthy lifestyle program (WAVES intervention) Type of data: Categorical data |
| Population of Interest for Study | School going children from UK primary schools from the West Midlands. |
| Sample | Students from 54 schools were selected as a sample to participate in the study |
| Sampling Method | Clustered random sampling |
| Identify Data Collection Identify how data were collected | Direct assessment of the participants, before and after the study Questionnaires administered to the parents of the participants |
| Summarize Data Collection Approach | Data was collected from school records, direct assessment of participating children in school, and parent questionnaires distributed at the time of pupil measurements to assess the effectiveness of the intervention |
| Discuss Data Analysis Include what types of statistical tests were used for the variables. | The study used various methodologies during data analysis. Linear regression was used for primary analyses for all continuous outcomes like BMI z score. Subgroup analysis using interaction test for the various subgroups and how the interventions and results differed on them was also analyzed. The study also used a set their level of statistical significance to be at 0.05 for the primary outcomes and 0.01 for the remaining outcomes. The analysis was done with the aid of computer programs namely REALCOM-Impute software.
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| Summarize Results of Study | From the results obtained by the study, it was identified that experiential focused intervention had no significant statistical effect on BMI z score neither did it have any effect on preventing childhood obesity |
| Summary of Assumptions and Limitations Identify the assumptions and limitations from the article. Report other potential assumptions and limitations of your review not listed by the author. | One of the limitations as listed by the author was the fact that parental consent was only collected from 60% of the participants parents which could display some form of bias in the study. The study was under the assumption that dietary intake was the habitual intake which may not necessarily be the case. Other than what was reported in the study, the researcher was under the assumption that the interventive measures establish by the research would be the only factors affecting the dependent variable. However, the participants dietary and physical behaviors at home may have played a big factor is skewing the results established by the study |
Ethical Considerations
Ethical considerations in research play an important role in ascertain the validity and reliability of the study findings. one of the ethical considerations which was highlighted in the study was consent to carry out the research more so, collection of data from the participants. A proper research process needs to obtain consent informing the participants the nature of the research, how it is going to be conducted and any other implication which may relate to the participants.
The researcher in the study reviewed obtained consent from the participants parents and the schools which agreed to participate in the study. Given that the participants were children, that is why the researcher had to seek consent from the parents.
Another ethical consideration was to limit the level of bias in the study. Given the heterogeneous nature of the participants, the researcher had to use a sampling methodology where each subgroup within the entire population would have an equal chance of representation. The researcher went further to use subgroup interventive test to ascertain whether the characteristics of the various subgroups may have an impact on the study conducted. As a result, that aspect of bias on the selection of participants and the study results was eliminated.
The interventions employed by the researcher was also communicated to the parties involved and the public at large. This made sure that the ethical consideration of beneficence was assured. Given the nature of the participants, it was important to ensure that the interventions established by the research were not to harm them. Therefore, educating the parties involved on the nature of the research helped dispel any misconception about the whole research process.
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What is an example of quantitative research in health care?
An example of quantitative research in health care could be a study examining the effectiveness of a new medication in treating a specific medical condition.
For instance, researchers might design a randomized controlled trial where they recruit a sample of participants with a particular health condition, such as hypertension. The participants would be randomly assigned to two groups: one receiving the new medication, and the other receiving a placebo or a standard treatment.
Quantitative data, such as blood pressure measurements, heart rate, and other relevant physiological indicators, would be collected from both groups before the intervention, during the treatment period, and after the treatment period. Statistical analysis would then be applied to compare the changes in health outcomes between the two groups.
This type of research allows researchers to quantify the effects of the medication objectively and draw statistically sound conclusions about its efficacy. It provides numerical data that can be analyzed to determine whether the medication has a significant impact on the health condition being studied.
Why is quantitative research important in community health?
Quantitative research in community health is important for several reasons:
- Objectivity and Precision: Quantitative research employs systematic and structured methods for data collection and analysis. This ensures a high degree of objectivity and precision in measuring and quantifying health-related phenomena. This is crucial for obtaining accurate and reliable information about the health status of a community.
- Statistical Generalization: Quantitative research allows for statistical generalization. Findings from a well-designed quantitative study can be applied to a larger population, providing insights into health trends, risk factors, and outcomes at the community level. This generalizability enhances the relevance and applicability of research findings.
- Identifying Patterns and Trends: Through statistical analyses, quantitative research can identify patterns and trends in health-related data. This is valuable for understanding the prevalence of health issues, identifying disparities among different population groups, and informing public health interventions that target specific needs within a community.
- Monitoring and Evaluation: Quantitative research is instrumental in the ongoing monitoring and evaluation of public health programs and interventions. By collecting numerical data, researchers and public health practitioners can assess the effectiveness of interventions, track changes over time, and make data-driven decisions to improve community health outcomes.
- Resource Allocation: Policymakers and healthcare administrators often need quantitative data to make informed decisions about resource allocation. Quantitative research provides evidence on the burden of diseases, healthcare utilization patterns, and the cost-effectiveness of interventions, helping to guide the allocation of resources to address community health priorities.
- Evidence-Based Practice: Quantitative research contributes to the development of evidence-based practices in community health. Health professionals can use empirical data to make informed decisions about the most effective strategies for prevention, treatment, and health promotion within a community.
- Policy Development: Policymakers rely on quantitative research to formulate effective health policies. Quantitative data can highlight areas of concern, support policy recommendations, and assist in the development of strategies to improve community health outcomes.
In summary, quantitative research in community health plays a vital role in generating objective, reliable data that informs decision-making, policy development, and the implementation of effective interventions to enhance the overall health and well-being of a community.
