Abbreviated Quantitative Research Plan Research Paper

Introduction

Many research studies have shown that socioeconomic determinants of health, such as education, income, age, and geographic location, often affect health outcomes (Asada, 2007; Mandal, 2015). Although health disparities may mean ethnic or racial disparities across different population strata, they may also occur because of socioeconomic differences (Asada, 2007. In America, health disparities mainly affect minority populations (Mandal, 2015). For example, Mandal (2015) says that African Americans have a 10% higher incidence of cancer compared to their white counterparts. Similarly, Latinos and African Americans are twice as likely to develop diabetes compared to their white counterparts (Mandal, 2015). Some factors, such as poor access to health care services, poverty, exposure to environmental problems, inadequate education levels, and individual or behavioral factors contribute to the health disparities in America (Asada, 2007). This paper proposes a quantitative research study to understand how to reduce socioeconomic disparities to achieve better health outcomes in America.

Theoretical Framework

The health inequality theory would be the theoretical framework for the proposed study. This paper proposes this theoretical framework because it focuses on the healthcare system, provides an elaborate definition of vulnerable groups, and outlines a framework for pushing the agenda for decreasing health disparities (Babbie, 2013). Researchers have used the health inequality theory to investigate issues of health inequality and to investigate socioeconomic determinants of health (Babbie, 2013). For example, Mandal (2015) has used this theoretical framework to direct research into health inequality.

Methodology

Quantitative Research Approach

There are many types of considerations to make when choosing the right type of research design in quantitative research. Emma (2008) says quantitative research has different types of designs, including historical, correlation, experimental, and descriptive research designs. This paper proposes the use of the descriptive research design because it allows researchers to measure an observable phenomenon – health disparities in the U.S, directly (Emma, 2008). An experimental or correlation design would not work in the context of this paper because health disparity is a social issue and this paper does not compare two variables, as the correlation design would demand (Emma, 2008).

Research Questions

1. Why do health care disparities matter
2. Are health care disparities in America, today, increasing or decreasing?
3. Have the changing attitudes about race and its expressions in America caused a decline in health care disparities in America?

Hypotheses

1. Health and health care disparities matter
2. Health and health care disparities are slowly decreasing
3. The changing attitudes about race and its expressions in America have caused a decline in health care disparities in America

Dependent and Independent Variables

• Dependent variable: Health Disparities
• Independent variable: Socioeconomic disparities

Data Collection Methods

The proposed research would be an integrated review of available research material. The main data collection technique for this paper would be secondary research materials, such as books, journals, and credible websites. However, the researcher would pay special attention in getting information from national and regional health agencies and from other credible health institutions. The main motivation for pursuing this secondary research strategy is the low cost of undertaking the research and the limited time it takes to complete the research (Emma, 2008). Comparatively, primary research is more expensive and more time-consuming to do. The biggest drawback of using secondary research information is the extensive nature of information available to the researcher (Babbie, 2013). To get only useful information for this research, the integrative research process would include a thematic data analysis to identify only the relevant pieces of information that would help to answer the research questions. This way, the thematic analysis method would identify relevant themes that concern every research question. For example, information relating to racial attitudes and their effects on health disparities would emerge in one thematic analysis. Comprehensively, such a process would help to provide a focused analysis of the research issue.

Target Population/Size

Since the proposed study would be an integrated review of research data, there would be no sample population for the study.

Threats to the research validity and ways of mitigating them

Since the proposed study would be an integrated literature review, the main threat to validity is the accuracy of data included in the research process. To mitigate this challenge, there would be a deliberate effort to evaluate the sources of data and methods used to get research information. The possibility of including outdated information in the paper could also affect the study’s validity (Babbie, 2013). However, to mitigate this concern, there would be a deliberate effort to include information published in less than five years. These steps would ensure that there are minimal threats to validity.

Ethical Implications

A secondary research does not have many ethical implications as primary research. In fact, some researchers have said that such studies have little or no ethical implications (Babbie, 2013; Emma, 2008). However, as Babbie (2013) observes, this does not mean that researchers should not undertake their research ethically. The proposed study would make sure that the researcher cites all the authors whose works are included in the paper properly. The purpose of observing this ethical principle is to avoid copyright infringement issues. The researcher would also seek permission to use the information cited in the paper. Collectively, these steps would minimize the potential for including unethical practices in the study.

References

Asada, Y. (2007). Health Inequality: Morality and Measurement. Toronto, CA: University of Toronto Press.

Babbie, E. (2013). The Basics of Social Research. London, UK: Cengage Learning.

Emma, S. (2008). Using Secondary Data In Educational And Social Research. London, UK: McGraw-Hill Education.

Mandal, A. (2015). What are Health Disparities? Web.