Introduction
The proposed study would use a quantitative research approach. Its appropriateness for this paper emerges from its ability to gather personal data, such as the age and sex of the participants and its propensity to accommodate different health indices for the analysis (Tracy, 2012). This quantitative study would be a correlation research that investigates the relationship between HIV and Kaposi Sarcoma. Using this research design, the researcher will only recognize trends and patterns of HIV and Kaposi Sarcoma through statistical data methods, but not explain the reasons for their occurrences. Similarly, there will be no data manipulation, as the researcher will only observe key metrics that answer the research questions (Bruce, Pope, & Stanistreet, 2008).
Proposed Study Participants
The proposed study would include volunteers who have suffered from HIV or Kaposi Sarcoma. The researcher will recruit 78 volunteers for the project. There will be no gender bias when selecting them. Similarly, the researcher will not discriminate on the participants, based on age (the youngest respondent will be three years old, while the oldest respondent would be 55 years). However, for purposes of getting informed consent, all minors should have informed consent from their parents or guardians before participating in the study (Tracy, 2012). The study would use a purposive sampling strategy to recruit the participants. This strategy involves recruiting participants who have visited local health care facilities and enrolled in the state health care system, as beneficiaries of the state AIDS management program. The main reason for using this strategy is to recruit participants with similar characteristics (Ann, 2009). Tracy (2012) says the main disadvantage associated with the purposive sampling method is its complexity because it is not well-developed, compared to other sampling techniques, such as the random sampling technique.
Proposed Data Gathering Methods
The study would use several data gathering methods to get primary and secondary information. The main research sources would be electronic medical records and central web-based systems. The electronic medical records would provide information about the participants’ HIV statuses and Kaposi Sarcoma. Similarly, the researcher would conduct on site tests to get data regarding blood pressure (BP). On-site tests would be useful in getting accurate information about blood pressure because it often changes (Argyrous, 2011). Therefore, the BP recordings would apply to specific analysis periods. The central web-based systems would give secondary information about the research phenomenon. The researcher would use the information obtained from this source to find variances from the primary research findings and give background information about the research issue.
Proposed Statistical Analysis
For purposes of data analysis, this study will use the SPSS software. This method is right for this study because it augurs well with the quantitative research approach and provides a thorough analysis of data, including frequencies, means and distributions (Argyrous, 2011). ANOVA and t-tests will be critical components of the data analysis plan. The t-tests will compare the mean variables between the study variables (Tracy, 2012; Argyrous, 2011). Comparatively, the ANOVA technique would be useful in calculating the variances between the study variables. The main advantage of using this statistical software, for purposes of data analysis, is the high accuracy associated with it (Argyrous, 2011). However, the main disadvantage of the SPSS is its failure to improve statistical results and its difficulty in proposing model interventions.
References
Ann, B. (2009). Research Methods in Health: Investigating Health and Health Services. London, UK: McGraw-Hill International.
Argyrous, G. (2011). Statistics for Research: With a Guide to SPSS. New York, NY: SAGE.
Bruce, N., Pope, D., & Stanistreet, D. (2008). Quantitative Methods for Health Research: A Practical Interactive Guide to Epidemiology and Statistics. London, UK: John Wiley & Sons.
Tracy, R. (2012). A Survival Guide for Health Research Methods. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill International.