Research Question: What is the impact of physical activity intervention on lowering the prevalence of childhood obesity among school-aged children? The Epidemiological Study Design For Assessing and Addressing the Problem

As earlier indicated, the chosen research focuses on exploring the association between physical exercise interventions and lowering the incidences of obesity among children. Therefore, the best epidemiologic study design that can be used to address this problem is a randomized controlled trial. For years, this study design has been considered the gold standard in primary research, largely because of the power that comes with randomizations (Friis & Sellers, 2021). In reference to the proposed research, the participants are randomly assigned into either the intervention group receiving the physical exercise intervention or the control group, which does not receive any intervention.

It will be important to assess the children at the baseline during the intervention and follow-up visits to help measure the outcomes considered to be indicators of obesity prevalence, such as body mass index. As part of the process, the analysis of the data can then be used to reveal the impact of the physical exercise by comparing the outcomes between the control and intervention groups. This study design has been chosen because it offers a suitable platform to minimize confounding factors and biases, thereby offering high-quality evidence that can be used as a framework for establishing long-term strategies.

A Summary of Data Collection Activities to Be Used

            A proper investigation of the research question would require comprehensive data collection. As such, it is important to explore the possible data collection activities that can be performed. One of the activities would entail obtaining the anthropometric measurements, which involve taking the patient’s physical measurements such as weight and height, which is key in calculating the body mass index throughout the research period. Surveys can be used to obtain physical activity levels and dietary habits, among other demographic characteristics (Ferguson et al.,2022). An objective assessment should also be obtained since it can help obtain more accurate results. For example, physical activity as performed by the participants can be measured and recorded using activity trackers or accelerometers. Such devices can be worn during the times when the information needed is to be collected. This strategy can help obtain important information regarding the physical activity frequency, intensity and duration.

Methodologic Strategies to Be Used and Methods For Making The Selections

            As discussed earlier, a randomized controlled study design has been chosen for the research. Therefore, one of the methodologic strategies key to this design is recruitment of the study subjects and randomization. The recruitment drive can be carried out in healthcare settings, communities, and schools, where children of school-going age and at risk of experiencing obesity can be found. After recruitment, the children can then be randomly assigned to either the control or intervention group (Berger et al.,2021). Using the randomization strategy helps minimize selection bias and ensure comparability between groups.

As part of the research rules and guidelines, it will be important to obtain informed consent during the recruitment. The participants are minors; therefore, informed consent will be obtained from the parents or guardians to ensure they participate voluntarily and adhere to the ethical guidelines put in place for research where human subjects are involved. The research involved exploring the impact of physical activity; as such, it will also be vital to carry out a baseline assessment to help gather baseline data such as weight, height, and physical activity. These values will play a key role in determining the efficacy of the program by comparing the values obtained upon the use of the intervention (Friis & Sellers, 2021).