Extraneous Variables
Confounding factors in childhood obesity largely revolve around the parental variable. Parents’ socioeconomic level and body mass index (BMI) should be considered independent variables. Such extraneous variables are part of the category of participant factors; thus, a strategic approach will aid in regulating them (Warnick et al., 2019). Using a random assignment method to place participants in the conditions with the independent variables is crucial to the plan to regulate these elements. Consequently, the randomization of participants, encompassing parents, will be the primary means of control. Although there will be some differences between the groups, they will be statistically equivalent overall. Using a random sampling method will guarantee that the confounding factors are evenly distributed across the sample. This important control will ensure that the groups are similar before the intervention begins and that the sample is representative of the whole.
Instruments
The intervention has been evaluated using the Food Behavior Checklist (FBC). This measure includes 16 questions for the user to answer. The checklist includes items like eating habits and meal plans (Warnick et al., 2019). It looks at water intake, food security, and fruit and vegetable consumption patterns. Participants can see if their current eating habits align with the nutrition recommendations made by the nurse. The expert examines the patient’s self-care abilities before and after treatment. The findings are recorded and compared before and after the intervention to evaluate the strategy’s success. The self-awareness of the patient is explored through this method.
Participants will take the exam before and after patient education to ensure validity and reliability. The patient’s belief in their abilities to care for themselves and maintain a healthy diet will be assessed. A scale will be used to evaluate how secure they feel ( 100 points mark the highest score, and 70 indicates the lowest satisfactory score). A slew of researchers examined the validity and reliability of the tool. Factorial validity, test-retest reliability, and internal consistency were all satisfactory for FBC (Ayre et al., 2022). In addition, the reliability coefficient for this instrument is relatively high (r=43). The researcher can compute Cronbach’s alpha to check the instrument’s consistency.
Intervention
A pre- and post-study questionnaire will be provided to each participant and their parents. Their understanding of the patient’s dietary habits, food philosophy, and health management will be tested. The study will include 100 general care unit patients, all chosen randomly. The patient will have their food altered and receive more attention from their parents. The FBC will be useful in gauging the success of the program. Patients’ autonomy under medical care and parental guidance will be at the forefront of efforts to improve their diets. The patient’s BMI will decrease gradually as they learn to regulate their behavior and make healthier food choices. A self-efficacy test will be administered to the patients before the intervention is carried out to see how open they are to making a positive change. The family doctor will be responsible for educating patients, scheduling and leading all appointments, and keeping track of all follow-ups. The researcher will reevaluate the patients’ self-management abilities after the intervention to see whether and how their behavior changes.
Data Collection
The family doctor will be responsible for collecting data from both the pre- and post-test questionnaires. The sample’s characteristics, the intervention’s effectiveness, and the change in BMI will all be tracked. The general care unit’s family physician will collect the data before and after the intervention. An Excel file will capture the data from the researcher. The study will be conducted in the fashion of an experiment, with the researcher carrying out the intervention and monitoring the response. A comparison of the intervention’s (patients in this group will obtain dietary recommendations) success rate with that of a control group will be measured via observational studies. The results from this group will be compared to those of patients who were given nutritional guidance and monitored by their parents.
References
Ayre, S., Gallegos, D., Nambiar, S., Tran, C. Q., Do, D. N., & Jansen, E. (2022). Preliminary exploration of the use of the Children’s Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CEBQ) and Feeding Practices and Structure Questionnaire (FPSQ) in Vietnamese mothers. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 76(3), 442-449. Web.
Warnick, J. L., Stromberg, S. E., Krietsch, K. M., & Janicke, D. M. (2019). Family functioning mediates the relationship between child behavior problems and parent feeding practices in youth with overweight or obesity. Translational Behavioral Medicine, 9(3), 431-439. Web.