Obesity and Infant Mortality in African American Women: A Comparative Analysis

The purpose of the research proposal is to find solutions to a pressing issue in the nursing field. One of the greatest concerns is the increase in infant mortality within the American black community. Research suggests this is due to the increase in obesity and the decrease in educational programs regarding nutrition and pregnancy within the community (Chen, 2010, page 3). The information collected from this research program will be examined within the context of a qualitative research design. The information will include the health information gathered at weekly meetings, as well as evaluation information collected from the participants and the nurse educators. And examination of the physical results as well as how the participants view the effectiveness of the program will serve as effective data for analysis. Considering the research indicating the highest levels of infant mortality are among obese, African-American women, the sampling technique used will focus on pregnant, obese, African-American women seeking prenatal care. It is important to relinquish all biases prior to conducting the study to remain as objective as possible. Overall, the data analysis should provide further insight into this pressing issue in the nursing profession today.

The research methodology for this study involves a constant comparative analysis technique. This data analysis technique involves taking one piece of data and comparing it with the other data collected in order to develop “Conceptualizations of the possible relations between various pieces of data” (Hayward, 2007). This form of data analysis will enable the study to examine the data for two different comparisons. The first comparison is the progress individual participants make. This will be done by using their initial survey and health information report and compare it to each additional survey and health information report in order to see the progress or lack of progress being made by the participant. This will show whether or not the educational program is working in enhancing the health and nutrition of each individual participant. This comparative method is effective in that it can be used to analyze each participant’s progress in order to see if there are emerging trends in the data. This is one of the most standard and reliable methods of statistical research. The second comparison will be a constant comparative analysis comparing the data of multiple participants against each other. The general trend is there is a high rate of infant mortality among overweight, African-American women. The constant comparative analysis will allow the research to compare the results of the study group to the numbers for the greater population. Although the sample is limited to the selected patients of the particular Miami-Dade County, the results can most likely be applicable to similar programs in other areas. 

The selected data analysis technique used is reasonable for the specific study conducted because it allows the most information to be pulled from the raw saturated data. This is done by individually analyzing the collected data from multiple perspectives and combinations to note trends and patterns. The initial research question proposed was whether or not an education program that educated participants in positive health and nutritional decision making would lead to significant reduction in the infant mortality rate among African-American women nationwide. By taking a record of the participant’s health and nutrition in the beginning of the study as a bass and comparing it to the progress made over time, the results of the educational program can be examined on a case by case basis. The education itself may be of quality, but no accountability for decisions outside of the program may cause some of the participants to continue practicing poor eating habits. This being the case, it is not the educational program that is in question but the environment in which the participants live that is the issue. However, the educational programs failure to prevent the participants from engaging in poor eating habits could be a failure of the educational program as well. The wide diversity of scenarios that can take place is all open to examination using this type of comparative study and that is why using it is reasonable. 

Interpreting the results of the analysis can assist in achieving the objectives of the study in several ways. The first is it collects information on the specific demographic affected most by infant mortality; obese African American women. By collecting this information, basic trends can be noted as existing characteristics and preconditions common relating to the issue of infant mortality. This can be anything from blood glucose to income and eating habits. A strong contributor to poor health is the consumption of fast food. Trends and patterns as such can be noted using the comparative study. After the education process has taken place with consistent attendance and participation from those in the study, changes over time can be noted according to the same standards in the initial year. Changes in relevant characteristics such as weight, blood pressure and stress can all be collected using this type of comparative analysis. Positive gains could be attributed to the education program or could simple be from better nutrition and exercising habits by the participant. Negative changes could show ineffectiveness of the educational program and require some modification. This comparative analysis provides a spectrum of useful ways in analyzing and enhancing the educational program.

However, if the research study is proposed to address the issue of infant mortality as a whole, the data analysis chosen for this study will not enable the research to answer the question due to the selected sample demographic of African American women. The demographic was specifically chosen because it is specifically affected by increasing infant mortality. But if the study looks to become applicable to patients of obesity and malnutrition correlated with infant mortality then the study needs to be expanded to a wider, more representative sample. Certain preexisting dispositions may coincide within a certain demographic genetically, resulting in an excluded variable not accounted for in the study. Nonetheless, the results of the data analysis will show whether the overall health of the participants improved over the course of participation in the educational program. It is expected that the educational program, if provided with the right content and curriculum that truly enhances the knowledge of the participants, will benefit the participants health and nutrition.

In conclusion, the data analysis portion of the research proposal is most important because it is the tool used to answering the questions and meeting the objectives of the proposed study. In this case, a multidimensional comparative analysis was conducted references participants before and after the educational program and amongst one another. This data analysis technique is most useful for this specific type of study in which many variables could be simultaneously working in a specific direction. By comparing multiple participants and their results amongst one another, trends and patterns can be noted to indicate causal and contributing factors. While it is clear what foods contribute to positive health gains and what foods contribute to negative health effects, whether the educational program affects the decision making of the participants outside of the study will determine the true success of the educational program. By directly answering the state project questions and objectives, this data analysis methodology shows its reasonability for use in this specific study. Slight modification to the sampling would increase the applicability of this study to the population at large.

References

Chen, M. (2010, June). Despite global improvements, pregnant women dying needlessly in New York. The Huffington Post, 3, 8.

Hayward, Karen S., Susan Steiner, and Kathy Sproule. (2007). Women's Perceptions of The Impact of a Domestic Violence Treatment Program for Male Perpetrators. Journal of Forensic Nursing 3(2) 77-83.