Quantitative Research Review on the “Trends in Obesity Prevalence among Children and Adolescents in the US, 1988- 19994 through 2013- 2014” by Ogden, C et al.
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Introduction
Obesity has remained to be a global health concern, especially in the developed countries. In the US, obesity has drastically increased among adults and children, attracting health practitioners’ and researchers’ concerns. The prevalence of the body mass index (BMI) among children has risen from 4% between 1999 and 2004 to 6% between 2011 and 2012 (Apovian, C. 2016). This trend has attracted age-specific studies amongst the population, especially among children and adolescents. The following essay reviews a research article on the “trends in obesity among children and adolescents in the US between 1988-1994 through to 2013- 2014” by Ogden et al. (2016).
Research Design and Study Position in the Hierarchy of Evidence
The research was conducted in a systemic review design. In this research design, the research is done by reviewing and comprehending information from published sources to develop a report. According to Ogden et al. (2016), the researchers used data on the children and adolescents’ weight and height between the 2 and 19 years from primary data collected by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES). This data was used to examine the samples’ Body Mass Index (BMI) before coming up with the research outcomes.
Hierarchy of evidence is obtained through evaluation of the effectiveness, appropriateness and feasibility of the research, which is then arranged in four categories on the hierarchy; poor, fair, good, and excellent based on how the evidence is portrayed to be regarding the three evolutional criteria (Evans, D. 2003). The research on obesity among children and adolescents falls under the excellent category in the hierarchy of evidence.
The research was conducted using a systemic review design, which, according to Evans, D. (2003), falls in the excellent category in the hierarchy of evidence. This design is supported by the fact that systemic review research design uses valid data in providing an excellent level of evidence through a strong scientific base in data analysis, in this case, the BMI.
Purpose of the Study
According to Ogden et al. (2016), the most recent analysis on obesity among children indicates an increasing trend from 1963 to 2014. This analysis shows a worrying trend in the cases of obesity among this age group in the demographic. Therefore, the study investigates the trends in the prevalence of obesity and extreme obesity in children and adolescents between the years 1988 to 1994 and 2013 to 2014. Additionally, the study sought to provide an estimated projection of extreme obesity prevalence among children and adolescents.
The Study Procedure
The study was conducted in a clearly defined procedure. First, the researchers obtained data from NHANES, collected from a cross-sectional survey across all US population divides, entailing both interview and examination criteria. In data collection, the NHANES used standardized procedures, which involved seeking permission from parents to under 18 years respondents and seeking approval from the National Center for Health Statistics research and review board. The researcher examined the data and grouped it based on age groups, gender, and race about the different periods. All estimates, errors, and percentiles based on weighted data were estimated using Tylor Series Linearization. Finally, the researchers presented the BMI percentile values graphically for further analysis (Ogden et al., 2016).
Sample Size of the Study
According to Ogden et al. (2016), the study involved data collected from 40,780 children and adolescents between 2 and 19 years of age with an average age of 11 years. The females comprised almost half of the participants, with a capacity of 48.8%.
Validity and Reliability of Major Study Variables
The researchers’ major research variables were valid and reliable since the researchers obtained them from a reliable source, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. NHANES obtained data from the respondents through interviews and examination criteria, which ensure first-hand information. Additionally, the respondents were selected through a cross-sectional survey of the US population following the National Center for Health Statistics research review board’s guidelines. These data collection criteria indicate a high rate of validity and reliability. On another note, the researchers calculated the BMI in consideration of the variation that may arise regarding age differences and all the errors weighted using Tylor Series Linearization (Ogden et al., 2016).
Data Analysis
The researchers analyzed data based on gender, age brackets, race, and guardian’s educational level. Sample with missing data was excluded from the analysis to ensure a valid conclusion of the study. Consequently, Odd Ratios (ORs) were obtained from all the four covariates of the samples. The prevalence of obesity percentage data was further plotted against the research cycle years on quadratic graphs to determine the trend in obesity over the research period (Ogden et al., 2016).
Untoward Events along with the Study Scope
In the study’s scope, there emerged unanticipated events regarding the collected data and multiple statistical tests. Firstly, some of the subgroups and primary sampling units were small to facilitate national representation. Following the consecutive biannual release of data by NHANES, the researchers combined data for four years to provide a significant number to represent the national state. Additionally, some multi-statistical tests could be of less or merely significance to any interested party. Therefore, the results were to be interpreted regarding the intended purpose (Ogden et al., 2016).
Comparison of the Study Results to the Prior Research Findings
Prior research findings indicated no substantial change in the obesity prevalence among children between 6 to 11 years and adolescents between 12 to 19 years. Still, there was a decrease among children between 2 to 5 years from 1999 to 2000 and 2011 to 2012. Following the study’s findings, the prevalence of obesity increased between the years 1994 and 2013 to 2014 with a decrease between 2003 and 2004 among children 2 to 5 years old. In 2007 and 2008, the obesity prevalence leveled among children aged 6 to 11 (Ogden et al., 2016). Therefore the study indicated a more age-specific and up-to-date trend on the obesity prevalence amongst children and adolescents.
Implications of the Research Findings in Clinical Practices
The research findings pose some critical implications to clinical practitioners regarding obesity prevalence among children and adolescents.
The research findings indicated a generally increasing obesity prevalence among children and adolescents, which calls for critical intervention regarding diets, lifestyle, and other interventional measures to curb chances of getting diabetes and other obesity related complications.
Conclusion
The research study shows an increasing trend in obesity and extreme obesity among children and adolescents. Although there is some decrease in the trends among children aged 2 to 5 years, the general scope requires tactical interventions by medical practitioners and the general population to adopt a healthy lifestyle and nutrition to reduce the prevailing trend in obesity significantly.
References
Apovian, C. (2016). The Obesity Epidemic — Understanding the Disease and the Treatment. New England Journal Of Medicine, 374(2), 177-179. https://doi.org/10.1056/nejme1514957
Evans, D. (2003). Hierarchy of evidence: a framework for ranking evidence evaluating healthcare interventions. Journal Of Clinical Nursing, 12(1), 77-84. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2702.2003.00662.x
Ogden, C., Carroll, M., Lawman, H., Fryar, C., Kruszon-Moran, D., Kit, B., & Flegal, K. (2016). Trends in Obesity Prevalence Among Children and Adolescents in the United States, 1988-1994 Through 2013-2014. JAMA, 315(21), 2292. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2016.6361