Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Research that Benefits Children and Families


Research can often times create positive outcomes for both children and families. A code of conduct must be followed and parental consent must be obtained.  Conducting research in children is important due to the critical time of their lives and being able to conclude on important health issues. 

Take for example research that was conducted on a close friend, Ms. Valezquez’s, son.  At age 3, he weighed 85 pounds.  An increase in childhood obesity has become a significant public health issue. With the concern of his overweight status affecting his self-esteem, as well as having a negative consequence on his cognitive and social development, his doctor recommended the family take preventative steps to begin with.  Some of these steps included an increase in physical activity and a very strict diet.  In a conversation with my friend, she stated that her son underwent a magnitude of tests and experiments in order to eliminate a variety of health concerns that could be contributing to his rapid weight gain.  Ms. Valezquez stated that the modifications that they were required to make at home in regards to diet and activity was difficult but she knew it needed to be done for her son’s health.  She also stated that all medical concerns were eliminated through a series of tests conducted over a period of several months (Valezquez, personal communication, 2012).
 
In this case of research, I strongly feel that whatever tests and experiments that the family needed to subject their child too was worth the risks due to his health.  At times, the tests and experiments were painful to watch, but the end outcome was desirable.  Based on many factors the child had an increased risk of childhood obesity.  The recommendations provided by the doctor and the strict regiments the family endured made a positive change in the child’s life.  I believe that this is an example of how children and/or families can be positively affected by research. 

4 comments:

  1. Hi Erika, I think that was a good example to help children build up their self-esteem and confidence. I am happy to see the positive effects on the child and his family. The process can be tough, but the result is promising and positive. Thank you for sharing.

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  2. Erika,

    Child obesity has become an important issue in the early childhood field since there are more obese children. I always remind my parents to bring healthy snacks/food for their children and encourage them to enjoy the outdoor and exercise with their children. Every now and then I make healthy snacks with my children to show them healthy diet. Parents are always pained in preparing healthy snacks for their children, so I often print out new ideas and post them on the parent's board. There are lots of research regarding child obesity and I believe the research would benefit children and families.

    Lufei

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  3. Dear Erika,
    I am against very strict restriction with food in young children. Even when it comes to obesity. I believe in developing healthy relationships with food and physical activity instead. I do hope everything works out for them. Thanks for sharing.

    -Angie

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  4. Dear Erika,
    Great choice, obesity is very important with our young children. Children should be encourage by the parents to go outside for two hours a day to enjoy activities that promotes movement. As a teacher, I encourage my parents to provide healthy snack for their child or children and I do it as well for my own children. Children are what they eat. Obesity has become a huge problem, that the vending machines are being taking out of the snack rooms at school and being replaced with healthy snacks.

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