Abstract
According to the results provided in the critiqued article, it becomes evident that there were no significant changes regarding the health issue of obesity among residents of the United States of America from 2003 till 2011. Unfortunately, the number of American citizens experiencing this problem remains tremendous at the moment. Therefore, this issue needs to be investigated and solved by medical workers and other professionals involved in this sphere.
It would be proper to state that the main population that faces the problem of obesity consists of children. Approximately one-third of all people living in the USA under the age of ten are claimed to be obese (according to general reports of doctors from all states of the country). The primary purpose of the discussed research was to analyze obesity rates in America and understand how did the situation change since the last review in 2003.
Introduction
The main problem of the research was not clearly stated in the article written by Ogden, Carroll, Kit, and Flegal. However, the main intentions of the research were not aimed at solving and reviewing the problem of obesity itself. Instead, the authors decided to focus on the comparison of statistics and their tendencies within the last decade. Nevertheless, the health issue of obesity remains practically important nowadays. It appears that one-third of all the children population in the United States of America is overweight. Therefore, medical workers and scholars must discuss the given topic to eliminate the tremendous problem.
The purpose of the study under the title of “Prevalence of Childhood and Adult Obesity in the United States, 2011-2012” was to display the latest survey results regarding the number of people with extra weight in the country. As it was mentioned above, the authors also wanted to assess trends among the identical results in 2003 with those of 2011. The authors of the article did not identify its hypothesis. However, a simple investigation does not require this element as there is nothing new to be tested or experienced. It could be claimed that the hypothesis of the discussed study is to prove whether or not the rate of obesity among Americans has decreased. The key terms were also not defined in the context.
Review of Literature
The authors of the critiqued article did not provide any literature review in their study. However, they used 34 relevant sources that were pertinent to their research. All the sources were scholarly, hence the data analyzed and evaluated by the initiators was trustworthy. Moreover, they provided several tables to display the main results of their investigations. This presentation makes the acquired data look more reasonable and comfortable to assess at once. Indeed, the references appear to be frequent in the text of the article. It is necessary to state some of the used sources are also performed by the authors of the given study separately. Despite all the factors stated in the given paragraph, the research remains current and relevant to various health issues existing in the country at the present moment (Ogden et al., 2014). Unfortunately, the rate of obese patients did not decrease in the last decade. In conclusion, it must be stated that there is no evidence of any bias regarding information and its authenticity in the article as all the sources are recent and noted to be used by several researchers.
Design and Procedures
The authors preferred to use the quantitative type of research methodology in their paper to describe all the differences regarding the rates of obesity in the USA within the last nine years. Although this method is not mentioned in the context, it becomes obvious when one looks at all the tables and numbers presented in it. Ogden et al. (2014) compare numbers that were investigated in 2003 to the same indexes in 2011. The research type of the study can be claimed experimental as all the contributors to it participated in research that was aimed at identifying weights of all people that took part in it.
Indeed, the discussed study was not original as it repeated the method of the same event that was organized one decade ago. However, the results acquired at the end of the research were necessary for the further development of sound solutions to the prevalent health problem of obesity in the USA. The replica study used such measurement tools as scales and a tape with inches marked on it to assess participants’ both heights and weights. This gave the organizers a precise understanding of how much kilograms average child weights.
As the main audience consisted of children, the authors of the paper identified both weights and heights of people aged from 2 to 19. For infants, they used a length metric system as they could not standstill. After these issues were determined and recorded, participants’ BMI rates were then calculated to understand whether or not the obtained results were satisfying. A pilot study was not conducted as the experiment was organized several years ago. Therefore, all the requirements for its realization were already known.
There were no variables outlined by Ogden et al. (2014) as they did not do any experiment. The process of measurement conducted during the study is rather the calculation of results than the discovery of new outcomes. According to what has been said in the context of the article, the research included oversampling of various populations consisted of non-Hispanic black people, individuals of Hispanic ethnic background, and non-Hispanic Asians. All the participants (9120) were divided into four groups (according to their races or nationalities). As it is mentioned above, the scholars welcomed people from 2 to 19 years old. The heights and weights of all of them were measured and then compared to the same results gathered in 2003. Moreover, only overweight children were recommended to participate in the research so that the results would relate to its purpose. There was no evidence of bias as everything was conducted regarding the failures and successes of the primary experiment.
Data Analysis and Presentation
The data were analyzed by several medical workers who measured weights and heights of children who participated in the research. The previous results obtained in 2003-2004 were selected at the beginning to find differences with that of the further years. The calculations were conducted regarding every age group (of four) to make the outcomes more precise and accurate. The findings of the research supported both the hypothesis and the purpose of the study as the indexes of children’s weight and heights did not change significantly.
The only important problem that was discussed in the paper is children’s addiction to fast food and other junk meal that makes them weigh more (Bhadoria et al., 2015). This problem is prevalent in the United States of America for an extended period (Ogden et al., 2014). Also, it is necessary to mention that sociologists and different medical organizations cannot eliminate the given problem for decades. The study does not seem to be practical because all the results are equal to that of previous identical surveys (Ng et al., 2014). The authors suggest that the research results can be applied to compare the obtained information with that of the next years and observe their tendencies. I believe that the acquired results can be used to make the problem popular and people more concerned about it. If the issue is permanent, citizens of the country do not intend to change anything regarding obesity in their children.
Conclusions and Implications
Indeed, conclusions of the discussed study relate to its original purpose as they summarize the general results gained with the help of the planned research. Unfortunately, the authors decided to disregard the discussion of implications in the context of the article. It is necessary to mention that the results and conclusion can affect scholars that will organize further research regarding the problem of obesity. In their conclusion section, the contributors to the work recommended people to follow healthy diets to prevent the possibility of obesity in them and their children. My overall assessment of the discussed study and the article is that it needs more details and arguments regarding actions that would be beneficial to reduce the number of obese children in the USA.
In my opinion, the writing could be improved by explaining the reasons why modern young people gain more fat than previous generations. However, the text is straightforward and does not contain any redundant information. Further research can be conducted on the subject of children’s obesity because the issue is still present. To make the nation healthier, it is essential to contribute to the solution of different health problems that make an adverse impact on people’s longevity rate and other demographical indexes that must be inherent in citizens of a wealthy country.
References
Bhadoria, A., Sahoo, K., Sahoo, B., Choudhury, A., Sufi, N., & Kumar, R. (2015). Childhood obesity: Causes and consequences. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 4(2), 187-192. Web.
Ng, M., Fleming, T., Robinson, M., Thomson, B., Graetz, N., Margono, C.,… Gakidou, E. (2014). Global, regional, and national prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adults during 1980–2013: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. The Lancet, 384(9945), 766-781. Web.
Ogden, C. L., Carroll, M. D., Kit, B. K., & Flegal, K. M. (2014). Prevalence of childhood and adult obesity in the United States, 2011–2012. JAMA, 311(8), 806-814. Web.