Evaluation of Research Ethics Discussion

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Article Analysis and Evaluation of Research Ethics

Article Citation and Permalink (APA format)	Article 1 Navti, L. K., Atanga, M. B., & Niba, L. L. (2017). Associations of out of school physical activity, sedentary lifestyle and socioeconomic status with weight status and adiposity of Cameroon children. BMC obesity, 4, 35. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40608-017-0171-3
Point	Description
Broad Topic Area/Title	Childhood obesity
Problem Statement (What is the problem research is addressing?)	With overweight/obesity affecting children in both developed and developing countries, it has become real global health. Considering that the number of overweight/obese children is only increasing, the research problem is the connection between sedentary lifestyle, physical inactivity, and socioeconomic status with childhood obesity.
Purpose Statement (What is the purpose of the study?)	The purpose of the study was to investigate how selected factors (out of school physical activity, sedentary lifestyle, and socioeconomic indicators contribute to children’s weight status and adiposity.
Research Questions (What questions does the research seek to answer?)	Does physical activity have an independent inverse relationship with overweight/obesity in children? Is there a positive relationship between out of school physical activity, socioeconomic status, and sedentary lifestyle with weight status and adiposity in children if variables are adjusted? Are sedentary time and physical activity predicted by socioeconomic status?
Define Hypothesis (Or state the correct hypothesis based upon variables used)	Null hypothesis- physical activity does not have an independent inverse relationship with overweight/obesity in children. Alternate hypothesis- the level of physical activity and sedentary lifestyle are more impacting than the level of socioeconomic status on weight status and adiposity.
Identify Dependent and Independent Variables and Type of Data for the Variables	In an experimental study, a researcher examines the influence of one variable over the other. The variable that the experimenter manipulates or changes is the independent variable, while the one being tested in the experiment is the dependent variable. Independent variable- weight status and adiposity of school children Dependent variable- school physical activity, sedentary lifestyle, and socioeconomic status Types of data for variables- they are quantitative since they represent amounts (weight). The levels of physical activity, socioeconomic status, and sedentary lifestyle can also be quantified.
Population of Interest for Study	Children in both developed and developing countries. It is important to understand some of the practices that expose them to health risks such as obesity and how to intervene, particularly through non-pharmacological means.
Sample	720 children were selected to participate in the study. After some dropped, the final sample contained 522 children (Navti et al., 2017, p. 2).
Sampling Method	The sample of children (5-12 years) was randomly selected from 6 primary schools in Mezam Division in northwest Cameroon. The sample was taken from 4 urban (2 rural and 2 public) and 2 (1 private and 1 public) rural schools (Navti et al., 2017, p. 2).
Identify Data Collection Identify how data were collected	Anthropometry- measurement activities in the study were carried out by trained nurses. They used a standardized protocol while children were in school with bodyweight being obtained using a portable digital scale (Navti et al., 2017, p. 3). Parents reported children’s socioeconomic background, physical activity, and sedentary lifestyle- information on these parameters through a pre-tested questionnaire (Navti et al., 2017, p. 3). Out of school physical activities such as skipping ropes, hopscotching, ball playing, weight, height, and BMI were calculated using WHO AnthroPlus software (Navti et al., 2017, p. 3).
Summarize Data Collection Approach	The final sample of questionnaires contained information from 262 boys and 260 girls who met all the inclusion criteria. Questionnaires were both in English and French and provided categories of frequency of participation in physical activity, sedentary lifestyle, and socioeconomic activities where parents had to make a choice (Navti et al., 2017, p. 3).
Discuss Data Analysis Include what types of statistical tests were used for the variables.	Researchers used the Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S) test to assess the distribution of continuous variables. WHO AnthroPlus software was used to calculate the z-scores for weight, height, and BMI. Descriptive analysis for continuous variables and proportions for categorized variables was performed, and values reported as mean. To compare the means between boys and girls, researchers used parametric independent samples t-test.
Summarize Results of Study	The study found that physical activity of over two times per week had an independent inverse relationship with overweight/obesity. Out of school sedentary lifestyle and socioeconomic class emerged as independent predictors of overweight/obesity. After combining overweight and obesity of boys and girls, more boys appeared to be affected than girls (p= 0.131) although the difference was insignificant.
Summary of Assumptions and Limitations Identify the assumptions and limitations from the article. Report other potential assumptions and limitations of your review not listed by the author.	The study had several assumptions and limitations, an issue that is common in experimental studies. It assumed that boys and girls could be affected the same by physical activity changes after controlling design and age variables. Regarding limitations, Navti et al. (2017) noted that the study presented results of out-of-school activity that were not assessed with respect to the study’s pre-selected physical activity domains.  Secondly, the sample was not nationally representative such that it could be used to deduce the country’s situation. Other assumptions and limitations include the view that the level of physical activity was the most impacting and the inability to control the confounding effect of puberty.

Ethical Considerations

In experimental studies, ethical considerations are a must. In most cases, researchers engage in practices that may have far-reaching legal and ethical consequences. For instance, in data collection, researchers may obtain information without the participants’ consent. It is always crucial to inform participants about the intentions of the research and why it is important. The other important consideration is ensuring that participants have adequate information regarding the study’s length and issues like payments if they want any incentives. After the research is complete, the information collected should be used for the right reasons. According to Bromley et al. (2015), the subjects’ privacy should be protected by all means possible. Confidential data such as the names of participants must not be revealed or shared by all means. If the situation requires such a thing to happen, researchers must obtain the necessary legal protection to avoid risking the participants’ lives.

Besides the issue of privacy, researchers should never harm the subjects. Indeed, this requirement is an extension of the ethical principle of nonmaleficence in research, which means non-harming and inflicting the least possible harm if completely unavoidable (Morrison, 2019).  Instead of collecting data from parents, researchers could have collected data from children. Collecting data from children is also unethical since they cannot make informed decisions. Fortunately, this study avoids these issues to a significant extent. For instance, data is collected from parents after they consented, and permission to carry out the study was obtained from the relevant authority. Private information was treated confidentially as legally and ethically required.

References

Bromley, E., Mikesell, L., Jones, F., & Khodyakov, D. (2015). From subject to participant: Ethics and the evolving role of community in health research. American Journal of Public Health, 105(5), 900-908. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2014.302403

Morrison, E. (2019). Ethics in health administration: A practical approach for decision makers. Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Navti, L. K., Atanga, M. B., & Niba, L. L. (2017). Associations of out of school physical activity, sedentary lifestyle and socioeconomic status with weight status and adiposity of Cameroon children. BMC obesity, 4, 35. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40608-017-0171-3

Question Description
I’m trying to learn for my Health & Medical class and I’m stuck. Can you help?

Article Analysis and Evaluation of Research Ethics

Search the GCU Library and find one new health care article that uses quantitative research. Do not use an article from a previous assignment, or that appears in the Topic Materials or textbook.

Complete an article analysis and ethics evaluation of the research using the “Article Analysis and Evaluation of Research Ethics” template. See Chapter 5 of your textbook as needed, for assistance.

While APA style is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and documentation of sources should be presented using APA formatting guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Refer to the LopesWrite Technical Support articles for assistance.

Attachments
HLT-362V-RS5-ArticleAnalysisEthicalEval-Template.docx

You must proofread your paper. But do not strictly rely on your computer’s spell-checker and grammar-checker; failure to do so indicates a lack of effort on your part and you can expect your grade to suffer accordingly. Papers with numerous misspelled words and grammatical mistakes will be penalized. Read over your paper – in silence and then aloud – before handing it in and make corrections as necessary. Often it is advantageous to have a friend proofread your paper for obvious errors. Handwritten corrections are preferable to uncorrected mistakes.

Use a standard 10 to 12 point (10 to 12 characters per inch) typeface. Smaller or compressed type and papers with small margins or single-spacing are hard to read. It is better to let your essay run over the recommended number of pages than to try to compress it into fewer pages.

Likewise, large type, large margins, large indentations, triple-spacing, increased leading (space between lines), increased kerning (space between letters), and any other such attempts at “padding” to increase the length of a paper are unacceptable, wasteful of trees, and will not fool your professor.

The paper must be neatly formatted, double-spaced with a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides of each page. When submitting hard copy, be sure to use white paper and print out using dark ink. If it is hard to read your essay, it will also be hard to follow your argument.

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS

Discussion Questions (DQ)

Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, include a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words.
Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source.
One or two sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words.
I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses.
Weekly Participation

Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately.
In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies.
Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work).
Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week.
APA Format and Writing Quality

Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required).
Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation.
I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition.
Use of Direct Quotes

I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’ level and deduct points accordingly.
As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content.
It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source.
LopesWrite Policy

For assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me.
Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes.
Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own?
Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score.
Late Policy

The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies.
Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances.
If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect.
I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension.
As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading.
Communication

Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me:
Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class.
Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.