Childhood Obesity/Exercise the Study by Akhtar-Danesh, Dehgham,

Childhood Obesity/Exercise

The study by Akhtar-Danesh, Dehgham, Morrison, and Fonseka (2011) was designed to address the problem of parents' perceptions of the causes of childhood obesity, barriers to prevention, and the impact of obesity on child health. As noted by the authors, childhood obesity is a growing public health concern; rates of childhood obesity more than doubled between 1980 and 2003. Statistics show that obese children are at increased risk of becoming obese adults and thus more likely to experience health problems such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The problem is important for health care administrators to study because they can play a key role in educating parents to do what is best for their children's health. Young children cannot make decisions for themselves with respect to nutrition and exercise. They depend on their parents to provide healthy foods and promote a healthy lifestyle.

The purpose of the study was to determine parents' awareness about the causes and consequences of childhood obesity. The authors did not delineate a specific research question. The study did not attempt to correlate weight of the children with their parents' attitudes and beliefs about healthy living. The study was meant to gather information about what parents were doing, or not doing, with respect to providing good nutrition and encouraging physical activity. The research question could be as follows: What do parents of children aged zero to three know about childhood obesity, and how do they perceive their role in successful prevention?

There was no hypothesis statement for the study because it was a Q-methodology study. Introduced in 1935 by Stephenson, Q-methodology is used to identify diverse viewpoints as well as commonly shared views. As in this study by Aktar-Danesh et al., Q-studies typically use small sample sizes to identify a typology, not to generalize to a larger population. There were no independent and dependent study variables because no hypothesis had to be tested. The researchers were gathering information that could be used for a subsequent study as well as for the development of educational programs and materials.

The researchers used a convenience sampling approach, meaning they identified subjects for the study in a way that was easiest for them rather than using random sampling or some other method. The study initially surveyed twenty parents attending a Canadian medical center for their well-baby check-ups. Parents completed an open-ended questionnaire that assessed their understanding of good health, healthy vs. unhealthy foods, current eating behaviors, long-term risks of unhealthy nutrition, childhood obesity, exercise and sports, current activity levels, ideal weight, and barriers to physical activity for children. The research team reviewed the data and tabulated it, creating a data collection instrument that was then used with a convenience sample of one hundred parents from the same clinic. Rank-ordered scores were collected and analuzed with the PQMethod 2.11 program (Schmolck, 2002; cited in Aktar-Danesh et al., 2011, p. 70).

Thirty-three parents (one father and thirty-two mothers) completed the questionnaire. Of these, nineteen were characterized by their confidence that they were delivering healthy nutrition to themselves and their families. Thirteen parents were characterized by their focus on physical activity and its role in childhood obesity. Although the parents in the study differed in their focus (healthy food vs. physical activity), most parents were aware of healthy nutrition. Both groups agreed that physical activity is very important to a child's health. The findings of this study are in agreement with findings by Nazario Rodriguez, Figueroa, Rosado, & Partilla (2008) and Myers and Vargas (2000).

The literature review by Aktar-Danesh et al. supports the need for their study because it highlighted the growing rates of childhood obesity and the significant role played by lifestyle preferences and cultural environment. For example, the researchers cited studies showing increases in sugar intake and portion sizes in the Untied States, and increasing time spent in childcare by preschool-aged children. Parents may have little or no control over what children eat when not in their care. The authors also cited studies that show the degree to which the environment plays a role in childhood obesity through physical activity patterns and food intake at school. Again, parents have little or no control of what their children eat or what level of activity they enjoy when they are not in the home. Thus, the researchers felt it was important to discern the attitudes and perceptions of parents with very young children since that is when they most likely have the most control and when they can be most influential in developing good health habits.

Aktar-Danesh et al. conceded there were limitations to the study because the group was homogeneous in their education -- about eighty percent had at least post-secondary education. In addition, the participants were all from a relatively small community where playing outdoors was not an issue, as it might be in large or urban communities. As previously stated, however, Q-study results are not meant to be generalized to larger populations but to ascertain viewpoints, which this study did.