Conceptual frameworks rely on a particular theory to demonstrate how a problem should be explored, and the current project can use two of them. Suitable options include the Ecological Systems Theory and the Social Determinants of Health Model. These frameworks are chosen because they allow for understanding why the problem of childhood obesity exists and why it can have negative psychological consequences. It is reasonable to describe each of them and explain how they relate to the study.
The main assumption of the Ecological Systems Theory (EST) stipulates that a person’s health outcomes significantly depend on their environment. According to Smith et al. (2020), people frequently act within different ecological niches that significantly affect them. In particular, a child is a member of a family, school community, and large society, and each of these groups can promote or protect children from the problem under analysis. These environments create the key components of the selected framework.
In turn, the Social Determinants of Health Model (SDHM) assumes that a person’s health is under the influence of social and economic factors. Key components of this framework include an individual socioeconomic status, social support, and access to healthcare (Déziel, 2023). The SDHM implies that children’s susceptibility to obesity and the level of impact that this condition has on their mental well-being significantly depends on their social determinants of health.
Since the project aims to investigate the correlation between childhood obesity and negative psychological consequences, the two frameworks can be suitable. On the one hand, the EST can help understand whether there is a connection between the impact of the problem on children’s mental well-being and their environment. This framework can demonstrate that psychological conditions are more prevalent, widespread, or severe among children who experience challenges within their ecological niches. The EST stipulates that if a child is stigmatized or faces discrimination because of their excess weight at school or home, mental health issues can be more prevalent. In other words, the theory considers that the negative impact of obesity can be aggravated by a child’s environment.
On the other hand, the SDHM focuses on the connection between a person’s psychological well-being and social context. Socioeconomic difficulties and the lack of social support can lead to significant mental issues, and this fact can contribute to a higher burden of obesity on a child’s psychological system. When a child has obesity, they are subject to multiple physical health issues, which finally results in financial struggles for their families. This fact can lead to further psychological problems, and the given framework indicates that it is impossible to assess the problem ignoring the social context.
The information above is valuable because it introduces specific requirements that the sample selection procedure should meet. Since the selected frameworks reveal the importance of children’s environment and social status, these issues should be addressed. A suitable strategy to cope with the task is to recruit individuals from different backgrounds and collect their descriptive statistics. The participants should be asked to complete a questionnaire highlighting the economic status of their families, problems that they experience in families and schools, whether they need social support, and other important aspects. That is why the project will have specific sample selection criteria, including the age-specific BMI indicating obesity and age of 6-17 years. There will be no limitations as to gender, race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. This step is necessary to ensure that diversity is incorporated into the sample size.
A few scholarly articles demonstrate that the selected frameworks can be used to investigate the impact of childhood obesity. Smith et al. (2020) relied on many models, and the EST was among them. The scholars used this theoretical assumption to identify the negative consequences of the problem on children’s health. According to Smith et al. (2020), childhood obesity frequently leads to depression, poor self-regulation, social phobia, and panic disorder. The authors rely on scientific evidence to demonstrate that children’s actions within numerous environmental spheres determine the severity of harmful consequences. In addition to that, the SDHM can help understand why obesity leads to negative outcomes. Lucy (2021) investigated the prevalence and consequences of obesity among adults and identified a connection between the problem and individual social status. Déziel (2023) adds that a family’s social status can aggravate the negative influence of childhood obesity. Thus, credible information demonstrates that it is reasonable to rely on the selected conceptual frameworks to analyze the negative consequences of childhood obesity on mental well-being.
In conclusion, the EST and the SDHM seem appropriate conceptual frameworks to guide the project. The two assume that a person’s health is determined by their environment and social status, respectively. These theories are additionally useful for the study because they indicate that the degree to which obesity leads to negative psychological consequences can depend on personal and external factors. That is why an appropriate sample selection procedure should be used to analyze them. Thus, the frameworks can help put the project’s findings into a context to generate knowledge that will be valuable for the entire healthcare industry.
References
Déziel, J. D. (2023). Emergency medical services demand: An Analysis of county-level social determinants. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, 17, e119. Web.
Lucy, S. D. A. A. (2021). Obesity interventions for older adults: Diet as a determinant of physical function. Africa and the Outside World, 112-123.
Smith, J. D., Fu, E., & Kobayashi, M. A. (2020). Prevention and management of childhood obesity and its psychological and health comorbidities. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 16, 351-378. Web.