Answer 3 for NURS 8310 WEEK 4 EPIDEMIOLOGIC STUDY DESIGNS

Research plays an important role in various fields, including healthcare. The interest in population and population health has led to significant research efforts in a bid to improve population health. Research has been at the center for decades. Therefore, epidemiological study designs have prominently been used to offer insights into disease determinants and distribution within populations (Merrill, 2024). Some of the study designs used in this respect include cohort study, where exposure is followed over time, and case-control study design used in investigating rare conditions, among others. As such, the purpose of this assignment is to identify an epidemiologic association of interest and discuss an appropriate study design that can be used to explore the association. The Population Health Topic and Research Question The population health topic of focus for this assignment is childhood obesity. This condition has been considered to be among the most common chronic conditions during childhood. It is important to note that this problem has existed for a long time. The concern is that the issue has gradually been on the rise, both in the developing and developed countries. Childhood obesity has also been shown to lead to many other health complications that may extend into adulthood. The treatment of the condition is also difficult due to several factors, such as lack of physical activity and poor nutrition, among other factors. It is important to study how modifying the factors can impact childhood obesity (Bülbül, 2020). Therefore, this assignment will focus on the association between physical activity and obesity. Research Question: What is the impact of physical activity intervention on lowering the prevalence of childhood obesity among school-aged children? The Epidemiological Study Design For Assessing and Addressing the Problem As earlier indicated, the chosen research focuses on exploring the association between physical exercise interventions and lowering the incidences of obesity among children. Therefore, the best epidemiologic study design that can be used to address this problem is a randomized controlled trial. For years, this study design has been considered the gold standard in primary research, largely because of the power that comes with randomizations (Friis & Sellers, 2021). In reference to the proposed research, the participants are randomly assigned into either the intervention group receiving the physical exercise intervention or the control group, which does not receive any intervention. It will be important to assess the children at the baseline during the intervention and follow-up visits to help measure the outcomes considered to be indicators of obesity prevalence, such as body mass index. As part of the process, the analysis of the data can then be used to reveal the impact of the physical exercise by comparing the outcomes between the control and intervention groups. This study design has been chosen because it offers a suitable platform to minimize confounding factors and biases, thereby offering high-quality evidence that can be used as a framework for establishing long-term strategies. A Summary of Data Collection Activities to Be Used A proper investigation of the research question would require comprehensive data collection. As such, it is important to explore the possible data collection activities that can be performed. One of the activities would entail obtaining the anthropometric measurements, which involve taking the patient’s physical measurements such as weight and height, which is key in calculating the body mass index throughout the research period. Surveys can be used to obtain physical activity levels and dietary habits, among other demographic characteristics (Ferguson et al.,2022). An objective assessment should also be obtained since it can help obtain more accurate results. For example, physical activity as performed by the participants can be measured and recorded using activity trackers or accelerometers. Such devices can be worn during the times when the information needed is to be collected. This strategy can help obtain important information regarding the physical activity frequency, intensity and duration.