Mother’s Perception on Childhood Obesity in Libya Proposal Essay

Introduction

It has been noted with concern that the number of overweight and obese children has risen significantly globally. Statistics show that since 1980 the number has increased threefold. Additionally, close to 16.0% of children aged between 6 and 19 years are obese (Amir, YekaninejadII & Hui 44). Studies have shown that countries in Africa particularly in the Northern part have also experienced a surge in children who are overweight and obese, Libya is one of them. It is worth noting that there are various causes of obesity which include unhealthy eating habits, lack of physical exercise among others. However, there are previous studies that have implicated parents to be contributors to the problem. Since mothers spent more time with their children, they are the ones who are often implicated with regards to the problem (Moss and Yeaton 198).

Aims and objectives of the study

The proposed study aims at establishing the perception held by mothers who have an obese child about their child’s problem, obesity. Based on this, the objectives of the study are:

1. To find out mothers of obese children’s perception about the causes of obesity in their children.
2. To establish their perception with regards to the effectiveness of the various programs to help obese children.
3. To find out the period of time mothers of obese children perceived them to be obese.

Research questions:

1. What is the perception of mothers having obese children concerning the causes of the problem?
2. How do mothers of obese children perceive the effectiveness of programs and strategies put in place to curb the problem?
3. For how long have mothers of obese children perceived their children to be obese?

Literature review

There are various definitions for obesity. However, for the sake of this paper the definition developed by Erica 3 will be used, it is the body mass index which exceed the 85^th or 95^th percentiles. The problem of overweight and obese children happens in the context of the family. Researchers have established that although there are other quotas to blame for child obesity such as advertisement among others, the parenting style is very influential in shaping the eating habits of children (Moss and Yeaton 194). Of particular interest are the mothers since they tend to spend more time with their children hence are responsible for influencing the nature, variety and quantity and quality of food eaten by their children. Mothers are instrumental in shaping children’s attitudes and perceptions towards food (Amir, YekaninejadII & Hui 39).

According to Rao 87 mothers are the ones who create the culture of food habits in the family since they are the ones who create the meal timetable. It has been noted that the effort to curb the problem will be possible if the perception of parents particularly mothers are critically analyzed. However, there is a serious problem since some mothers are not able to notice when their children become obese while others do not see it being a negative thing. According to Erica 11, it is important to involve parents when trying to curb the issue of obesity in children; this can be attained when their perceptions towards obesity to their children are fully understood.

Research methodology

The paradigm guiding the study will be feminism. This will allow the researcher to understand the experience from the point of view of the subject. It also recognizes the need to continuously think of gender as the basis of all social life. An in-depth interview will be used to collect data. It is also a flexible data collection tool as when questions are not well grasped by the interviewee, I will be in a position to rephrase and elaborate on them. The interview will allow one to learn about things and facts that cannot be observed directly and finally it adds internal viewpoints to outward behaviors. However, it is slow and data analysis is not easy (Polit 221).

The study will take place in Tripoli. Women from the capital city who have at least one child who is obese living with the mother will be included in the study. Additionally, the ability to talk and understand English will be used as an inclusion strategy. An advert will be placed in the media and those women who are willing to take part in the study will contact the research team through email or telephone. Upon receiving the contacts, simple random sampling will be used to select 15 women who will be interviewed; this will give every person an equal chance of taking part in the study. The selected subjects will be furnished with further information through the mail.

Since data will be collected through in-depth interviews, content and thematic analysis will be used to analyze the collected data. The findings will be presented in terms of text and direct quotes from the participants. Both soft and hard copies will be used to disseminate the findings (Polit 176).

Since the study entails human subjects, there is a need to seek approval from the university’s Independent Review Board. Additionally, informed consent from the participants will be sought after. There will be a need to ensure the confidentiality and privacy of the participant by not referring them by their names. The data obtained will be shared by the research team only.

I will use the funds I have saved for the purposes of completing this project. The funds will be used to meet logistic issues such as traveling, printing documents, making telephones among others.

Timetable

Activity Date

Proposal writing [Insert appropriate date]

Literature review [Insert appropriate date]

Developing interview guide [Insert appropriate date]

Sampling [Insert appropriate date]

Data collection [Insert appropriate date]

Data preparation [Insert appropriate date]

Data analysis [Insert appropriate date]

Writing up the document [Insert appropriate date]

Making correction [Insert appropriate date]

Printing the document [Insert appropriate date]

Final submission of the paper [Insert appropriate date]

Works Cited

Amir, PakpourI, Saeed YekaninejadII & Hui Chen. “Mothers’ perception of obesity in schoolchildren: a survey and the impact of an educational intervention.” J. Pediatr., 87.2 (2011): 32-45. Print.

Erica, Sosa. Mexican American Mothers’ Perceptions of Childhood Obesity: A Theory-Guided Systematic Literature Review. Health Educ Behav. 2.1(2010): 1-11. Print

Moss, Brian and Yeaton, William. “Young Children’s Weight Trajectories and Associated Risk Factors: Results From the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Birth Cohort.” American Journal of Health Promotion 25.3 (2011): 190–198. Print.

Polit, Denise. Essentials of Nursing Research: Methods, Appraisal, and Utilization. New York: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2006. Print.

Rao, Goutham. Child Obesity: A Parent’s Guide to a Fit, Trim, and Happy Child. New York: Prometheus Books, 2006. Print.