Theoretical Framework
Among all factors that affect obesity, eating habits and lifestyles can be deemed the ones that have the greatest effect on the development of the problem. Therefore, it is reasonable to suggest that changing the child’s behavior and habits as far as the physical activities and a diet are concerned is bound to lead to more efficient weight control. In other words, it will be necessary to help the target audience develop an understanding of the effects that their behavior has on their health. For these purposes, Dorothea Orem’s Theory of Self-Care Deficit can be utilized (Ling, Anderson, & Ji, 2015).
Orem’s theory consists of three essential elements, i.e., the Self-Care Theory, The Theory of Self-Care Deficit, and the General Nursing Theory, which marries the two approaches identified above with the existing concepts of EBP in nursing (Queirós, Vidinha, & Filho, 2014). The theory suggests that shaping the behavior of the target audience and building their awareness of crucial aspects of self-care is essential to the patients’ well-being. Since the theory allows designing the strategy that will ostensibly help change children’s eating habits and level of engagement in physical activities, I can be viewed as an appropriate theoretical framework.
It could be argued that raising awareness in children is unlikely to have a significant effect since young people’s opinions are shaped by their parents’ and guardians’ viewpoints to a considerable extent. The argument above is legitimate – while children are capable of making decisions, they are easily influenced by their parents or guardians. Thus, it will be necessary to make sure that Orem’s theory is applied to children’s family members (primarily, parents or legal guardians) as well.
Methodology
The study is aimed at answering the questions that require further quantification of results. Specifically, the identification of the degree to which parents’ choices affect children as patients with obesity issues needs to be identified. Therefore, it will be reasonable to use a quantitative research design as the foundation for the study.
A quasi-experimental design has been selected as the foundation for the research methodology. To be more exact, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be used to conduct the research (Belenchia, Hillman, & Peterson, 2013). Children from low-income families will be the target population of the study. The inpatients of a local healthcare facility will be considered as the target population. The sample size required to carry out the research will equal approximately 80 people. Random probability sampling will be used as the sampling tool. The reasons for the choice include the necessity to maintain the research outcomes objective.
To ensure that the study follows the existing ethical standards and norms, all parents or legal guardians of the children that will be chosen for the study will be provided with a letter of informed consent. Thus, the potential participants will be notified about the study’s goals, the essential stages thereof, and the role that the children selected for the research will play in it. As a result, numerous misconceptions and conflicts will be avoided. Furthermore, it will be necessary to make sure that the participants’ personal data, including their health record, should not be disclosed to a third party. For this purpose, the use of an elaborate data management approach and the latest IT tools will be adopted to enhance information security.