NURS 3150/3151: Foundations of Nursing Research Walden University Angela Lofton August 5, 2018 Journal Club Template for Qualitative Research Article The purpose of this assignment is to

NURS 3150/3151: Foundations of Nursing Research Walden University Angela Lofton August 5, 2018 Journal Club Template for Qualitative Research Article The purpose of this assignment is to describe the research design and methodology. Please discuss the research design, the sample selection, the data collection methods and the plans for data analysis. Please do not focus on or include the results of the study. Name: Angela Lofton Article: Walsh, A., Meagher-Stewart, D. & Macdonald, M. (2015). Persistent optimizing: How mothers make food choices for their preschool children. Qualitative Health Research, 25(4), 527-539. Purpose of study: The purpose of the study is to examine childhood obesity and recognize what mothers must go through daily to make sure that their preschool children have healthier food choices in western civilization where obesity is common. Research Design The research design used in the article is a type qualitative grounded theory called constructivist. Constructivist research analyzes data needed for the study. Using this research design study allows the researchers to develop a phenomenon (real life personal experiences). Sample Selection The sample selection consisted of 18 mothers with age ranges from 23-48 years old with children ages 3-5 years old. The mothers were of different races and socioeconomic backgrounds. Data Collection Data collection methods used were interviews via telephone Methods and face to face interviews. Over 16 months a total of 35 interviews were completed. 18 of 35 interviews were done initially, and the other 17 were follow-up interviews. Narrative data collection was used along with semistructured interviews in the initial face to face interviews. Then, there were telephone interviews and observation interviews while collecting data in public places such as grocery stores and restaurants which allowed researchers to directly observe the mother and the child. Other data collection included the initial surveys conducted and the transcripts which were available after the data collection was completed. Finally, all the data is collected and then analyzed using the grounded theory method. Plans for Data Analysis To help improve a mother’s skills to teach and assist her to provide healthier food choices to her child(ren) so she can possibly decrease their chances of getting childhood diseases and illnesses related to or associated with obesity. To develop an overall understanding of the mother’s ability to make healthy food choices and ways to optimize their choices to reduce the risk of their children developing obesity, in hopes of improving the mother’s ability to make healthier food choices for their children (Walsh, MeagherStewart, & Macdonald, 2015). Strengths 1. Educational, cultural, and socioeconomic guidelines were found in this study which is a strength because it is representative of the sample population which make it more credible and therefore trustworthy. Rationale: The researcher actively selects the most productive sample to answer the research question. This can involve developing a framework of the variables that might influence an individual's contribution and will be based on the researcher's practical knowledge of the research area, the available literature and evidence from the study itself. This is a more intellectual strategy than the simple demographic stratification of epidemiological studies, though age, gender and social class might be important variables (Marshall, 1996). 2. The study was informative and useful for the mother. The mothers were able to acquire new tactics to help them in developing better food choices for their children. Rationale: Mothers creatively prepared healthy foods, created diversions that encouraged their children to eat healthier foods, regulated food rewards and treats, and found ways to reconcile conflicting food values of family and friends. All mothers described using tricks such as hiding vegetables or meat in mashed potatoes (Walsh, MeagherStewart, & Macdonald, 2014). Weaknesses 1. The study used women from Nova Scotia which is an area in Canada known to have a high single parent household rate. Rationale: Nova Scotia has more single-parent families per capita than any other province (McLeod, 2012). 2. The study only used women with low income families which could have made the study bias and the end results questionable because other income brackets above were not included. Rationale: A mother’s income, race, and education play a significant role. In Canada, single mothers with children and individuals living on social assistance are among the groups that experience the highest rates of food insecurity (Walsh et al.)