Childhood obesity is a serious public health issue and one of the top chronic diseases that is developing at an alarming rate in the US and globally. Managing this condition is difficult. The current project seeks to address this condition through the adoption of lifestyle health education as the nursing intervention to mitigate obesity among children. The principle deliberation taken in the identification of the articles in this literature review was focused on articles that address childhood obesity. The purpose of this paper is to perform a literature review to examine how the available research supports the PICOT question developed. This literature review will be anchored on the literature evaluation table and the PICOT question that had already been developed for this project. Specifically, the literature review will compare articles in various aspects including sample population, research questions, and study limitations.
A Comparison of Research Questions
The emphasis is on the articles used in the PICOT question paper and the literature evaluation table. These articles used varied research questions to achieve the goals of the study. The questions used were either direct, indirect, or hypothesis. None of the studies used direct questions. The articles that used indirect questions include Mastrocola et al., (2020), Martin et al., (2018), Pan et al., (2020), and Jacob et al., (2021). On the other hand, some studies used hypotheses to help in directing the perspective of the readers about the topic and to help in proving an explanation. They include Atkins et al., (2020), Salam et al., (2020), Pereira & Oliveira (2021), and Scott-Sheldon et al., (2020). All the research questions focused on childhood obesity. However, the type and nature of questions differed depending on the objectives of the study.
A Comparison of the Sample Population
Every article used in this project involved a different sample population and was conducted in different settings based on what the researchers intended to attain. While some studies utilized a precise sample population, other studies utilized a general population of the targeted population. The studies that deployed a precise sample population included Martin et al., (2018), and Pan et al., (2020). On the other hand, the study that used the general population included Atkins et al., (2020). This article utilized an unspecified number of children aged 6 to 12 years with a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to the 85th percentile. Many studies also employed systematic reviews of studies from trustworthy databases. The articles were taken through inclusion and exclusion criteria to attain relevant articles that met inclusion criteria, which were eventually used as the sample population. The articles that used systematic reviews included Pereira & Oliveira (2021), Scott-Sheldon et al., (2020), Salam et al., (2020), Martin et al., (2018), and Jacob et al., (2021). Some articles such as Atkins et al., (2020) only specified the setting, age of the participants, and qualification for participating in the study without specifying the precise number of the sample population used.
A Comparison of the Limitations of the Study
This project advanced the adoption of lifestyle health education as the nursing intervention to mitigate obesity among children. The articles used in the project are characterized by various differing limitations. The first limitation noted in the studies is an incongruity in compliance with the goals of the project. Although all the studies in the project highlighted childhood obesity, nearly all of them significantly differed on the aspects of childhood obesity depending on the study topic. Jacob et al., (2021), Pan et al., (2020), and Mastrocola et al., (2020) focused on school-based interventions in addressing childhood obesity. On the other hand, Pereira & Oliveira (2021) and Martin et al., (2018) focused on dietary interventions in managing childhood obesity, with Martin et al., (2018) adding physical activity and behavioral interventions alongside dietary intervention. Other studies focused on a new taxonomy of intervention components to improve weight status in children 2–5 years of age. Atkins et al., (2020) also focused on unmet social needs and adherence to pediatric weight management interventions. Based on the provided information, it is evident that all the articles focused on childhood obesity but differed in the interventions to address the condition.
The other limitation of the study is evident in the population sample size of the studies employed. The population sample size is always instrumental in determining the reliability and validity of the study. Therefore, researchers need to be careful when deciding on the appropriate sample size for the study. Virtually, all
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