Penilla, C., Tschann, J. M., Sanchez-Vaznaugh, E. V., Flores, E., & Ozer, E. J. (2017). Obstacles to preventing obesity in children aged 2 to 5 years Latino mothers’ and fathers’ experiences and perceptions of their urban environments. international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 14(1), 1-12.

Purpose and Scope Of The Article

Authored by Penilla et al. (2017), the article aimed to use qualitative methods to evaluate the experiences when offering opportunities to play and meals to their young ones aged between two to five years. The scope of this research covered up to familial behaviours’ perceptions among both the fathers and mothers.

Description of The Research Conducted

This research used a purposive approach in sampling with forty-nine Latino parents recruited in the study; among them were twenty-two fathers and twenty-seven mothers who were divided into six focus groups. All the parents were residents of San Francisco, focusing on the Mission District.

In addition, knowledgeable bilingual research assistants helped in screening the potential participants. The eligible participants had to be a guardian or parent of a child between the ages two to five, Salvadoran, Guatemalan or Mexican, and can speak either Spanish or English.

Value and Significance of the Work

This research reported some interesting findings that are significant in obesity management. One of the findings is that social and demographic characteristics and community influence the kind of food that guardians and parents give their children as well as chances for physical activity.

An ecological framework is thus important for guiding the research with the fathers and mothers. Among the Latino parents, factors that inform their decision on what to feed their children include the absence of safe and clean recreational areas, processed food overabundance, and lacking fresh food options. Indeed, other research has shown that factors such as overuse of fresh food may lead to obesity (Monteiro et al., 2018).

These findings are significant in that the general public can easily know what to avoid giving their children as food to avoid obesity and how to deal with obstacles to preventing obesity. Sufficient knowledge on obesity prevention and management is important in fighting obesity (Rice et al., 2016)

Shortcomings of the Research

Even though this research has interesting findings, it also has some shortcomings. For instance, the researchers failed to obtain the consent of the study subjects. Hence, they were not able to evaluate whether the themes that they identified resonated with the participating focus groups.

Conclusion and How the Research Lends Support

While mothers noted neighborhood surrounding and daycare as the major obstacles to obesity prevention, fathers pointed to community relationships and employment. The findings lend support to research in that it provides a framework to build new research on obesity and explains major obstacles that should be overcome to prevent obesity.

Øen, G., Kvilhaugsvik, B., Eldal, K., & Halding, A. G. (2018). Adolescents’ perspectives on everyday life with obesity a qualitative study. International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being, 13(1), 1479581.

Purpose of The Article

This research on adolescent obesity was done with an aim to have a deeper understanding of the life experiences and perspectives of adolescents suffering from obesity. The scope of this study covered the perspectives of adolescents using repeated interviews, where the qualitative content was then analyzed.

Description of The Research Conducted

The study design involved the use of a qualitative approach where individual qualitative interviews were done, and content analyzed. The participants included were teenagers between 12-15 years old with BMI higher than 30 and who had consulted with providers regarding their obesity.

The researchers did ten individual interviews with five teenagers, three girls, and two boys, with all the participants living with their parent(s).

Value and Significance of the Work

Compared to the first research, this research similarly has important findings. The adolescents interviewed perceived their day-to-day life as difficult to solve and interpret. They differently perceived obesity causes.

In efforts to change their lifestyles, the participants pointed obstacles such as self-blame, guilt, shame, bullying, and lack of support from health-care providers, friends, and parents. Perceptions play a role in individuals’ efforts to fight obesity (Pont et al., 2017). The st


Work with us at nursingstudyhub, and help us set you up for success with your nursing school homework and assignments, as we encourage you to become a better nurse. Your satisfaction is our goal


Claim your 20% discount!