Introduction
Childhood obesity is a significant problem, bringing negative consequences to the entire community. Even though experts are unanimous in highlighting the harmful impact of this condition on children’s physical health, Sharma et al. (2019) stipulate that there is insufficient evidence regarding the psychological consequences of childhood obesity. That is why it is reasonable to conduct a project addressing this gap, and a significant step is to articulate the project’s aims, values, and desired outcomes.
The Project’s Benefits in Terms of Cost, Time, and Quality
To demonstrate its importance, the project’s benefits must be highlighted. First, the cost is a significant advantage because no interventions or paid tools are implied. The project author will only find children with obesity and collect information from them.
Second, time is another essential benefit that deserves much attention. The absence of any experiments or treatments denotes that the sample should not be analyzed over an extended period. A single data collection procedure will be sufficient to investigate a link between childhood obesity and mental issues. The results of this project will be important for people and institutions because they will understand the importance of providing overweight children with appropriate psychological support to prevent negative consequences.
Goals and Objectives
The proposed project relies on a single goal and a few objectives. Thus, the main goal is to determine the degree of correlation between childhood obesity and mental issues. This statement gives rise to two specific objectives that will guide the project.
Objective 1 is to identify the most prevalent mental health problems among children with obesity. Objective 2 examines the connection between the duration of being obese and the number or severity of psychological conditions. These objectives are shared and measurable and can determine whether the project can be deemed successful upon completion.
Required Variables
The following step is to select and explain what variables should be considered. A diagnosis of childhood obesity is an independent variable. The presence of obesity is determined according to a child’s body mass index (BMI), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2022) offers a helpful guide to BMI values for different ages. It is worth mentioning that while I do not have control over this variable, I still can influence its characteristics. In particular, it is necessary to ensure that the project includes children who are considered obese for different periods of time. This aspect guarantees that the project will identify the psychological impact of the diagnosis over a few months and a few years.
A dependent variable refers to the presence or absence of mental health conditions. I do not have any control over this variable, which denotes that I can only analyze it. Mental health issues are a broad term, and it is necessary to list specific conditions that will be considered.
According to Morales Camacho et al. (2019), childhood obesity can be associated with anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. Other potential consequences include eating disorders, behavioral issues, and substance abuse. Thus, the dependent variable will refer to multiple psychological comorbidities that are present among children with obesity.
Methodology
The current project will rely on a mixed-method approach to meet the goals and objectives. On the one hand, the qualitative methodology will be used to collect information from the selected children about their mental health conditions. This task will involve finding children with obesity and asking them to complete appropriate screening instruments to determine whether they have any mental health conditions.
On the other hand, quantitative methods should be used to identify a correlation between obesity and psychological issues. A suitable statistical test should be performed to cope with the task, and the Pearson correlation coefficient seems appropriate. Younas et al. (2021) mention that mixed-method studies generate valuable information that can lead to significant practice improvements. That is why the given methodology is a good option.
The Project’s Outcomes and Their Impact on the Community
The current research is valuable for the community because it draws public attention to a significant issue. Since the project’s purpose is to determine a connection between childhood obesity and mental health issues, the obtained results are expected to help the healthcare industry prevent and address psychological comorbidities of childhood obesity. That is why the project focuses on the children who are diagnosed with this issue for different amounts of time to analyze its impact over the short and long run. This information explains why the research has a positive viewpoint among various stakeholders, including patients, healthcare providers, and scientists. Finally, it will take six months to accomplish the project and meet its goals and objectives.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the suggested project focuses on a significant issue and aims to identify a correlation between childhood obesity and various mental health issues. A mixed-method approach should be utilized to determine how and whether the duration of being obese is associated with the prevalence of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and other psychological disorders. The research relies on the specific goal and objectives, and their meeting will provide patients, healthcare providers, and scientists with valuable results highlighting the necessity of addressing the mental well-being of children with obesity.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). About child & teen BMI. Web.
Morales Camacho, W. J., Molina Díaz, J. M., Plata Ortiz, S., Plata Ortiz, J. E., Morales Camacho, M. A., & Calderón, B. P. (2019). Childhood obesity: Etiology, comorbidities, and treatment. Diabetes/Metabolism Research and Reviews, 35(8), 1-9. Web.
Sharma, V., Coleman, S., Nixon, J., Sharples, L., Hamilton‐Shield, J., Rutter, H., & Bryant, M. (2019). A systematic review and meta‐analysis estimating the population prevalence of comorbidities in children and adolescents aged 5 to 18 years. Obesity Reviews, 20(10), 1341-1349. Web.
Younas, A., Inayat, S., & Sundus, A. (2021). Joint displays for qualitative-quantitative synthesis in mixed methods reviews. Research Methods in Medicine & Health Sciences, 2(3), 91-101. Web.