The Social Science Discipline. Research Paper Example.

The article in this research falls under the psychology discipline with the concentration on sports and exercise. This is because psychology entails science of mind and behavior while embracing all the unconscious and conscious experience and ideas which in this case, the researcher uses behavioral and cognitive factors to predict obesity. Also explored mental and behavior processes extending to the relationships between people. In the article, the scholar used empirical methods to try to measure the relationships between psychosocial variables as well as the usage of clinical and counseling methods which further show that psychological techniques were used. Also, the psychological knowledge was used in the study especially during treatment and assessment of the problems was utilized by the researcher with the aim of trying to solve some of the problems that parents and their children face when combating obesity.

Credibility of the Source

The sources used by the researcher are peer-reviewed scholarly journals which can be accessed online by other researchers. One example is Cook, W. L., & Kenny, D. A. (2005)-The actor-partner interdependence model: A model of bidirectional effects in developmental studies. The journals used in the research are conducted by qualified authors who are affiliated with institutions such as the university and who have taken part in numerous peer-review process that ensures that the research put online are of high quality. In the example above, Cook W.L. is an affiliate of the University of New England in Maine which confirms that the journals used are legitimately qualified. The sources utilized in the study are related and properly cited which then shows that the sources used were credible and thus the intended user can use them for their further researcher. Therefore, the sources used have met the standards required in the study.

Identification of Research Questions/Hypotheses

The research has identified three research questions that it entailed studying. The first research question is to investigate the parental and child awareness of safety and accessibility of exercise facilities for their children. Parents perceptions are important since they will then be able to allow or restrict their children to participate in physical activities. The second research question seeks to answer the parent and child physical activity since PA is a contributor to childhood obesity according to studies. The researcher knows that parents perception of physical activity is important since children will then decide to involve themselves in one. The third research question entailed examining the parental and child body fat percentage since the researcher wants to know if the two factors correlate with each other.

Identification of Important Sample Information

Both child and parent data collection took place either at the schools or in the general practitioners office. It was convenient for the collection of data for parents and children as it was done when the parents came to pick their children in the evening. Self-report items were used to interview children who fell in the age bracket between six and eight. On the other hand, children between the age of nine and eleven were summoned to read and write their answers unless they showed an inclination for taking part in the interview. The sample data was collected between 2011 and 2015 of which 13 study personnel were used in obtaining the information. The total numbers of children were 18 who were aged between 6-11 years old. Each interview lasted 30 minutes after which the height and weight of each of the children and their parents were taken.

Description of the Study Design

The procedure of the data collection was conducted smoothly with the data collection sites happening of from school or general practitioners office. Different data collection techniques depending on the age were used in the analysis with parents having the preference which mode they would want to use. As usual, all those who were not willing to participate were allowed to back down from participating in the study. Descriptive statistics were used to examine the relationship between children and their parents regarding their physical activity. The associations between the factors utilized in the analysis were examined using P-values. The total body fat was measured with the bioimpedance methods which were critical in monitoring the current through body issues (Horodyska et.al., 2017). The sample data were analyzed using the GPower calculator while the path analyses were examined using the IBM Amos 24.

The Main Findings of the Study

The results show implications for the growth of models that aims at explaining the importance of the physical activity and its health outcomes. The study entailed examining the perceptions of individuals and how it affects their behavior and obesity. The study assumptions that the perceptions of physical activity are the direct predictors of body fat and PA and thus the factors were important in examining the linkage between them. Also, the associations between the child and parental perceptions of their physical activity environment were important in understanding the importance of PA facilities.

References

Horodyska, K., Boberska, M., Knoll, N., Scholz, U., Radtke, T., Liszewska, N., & Luszczynska, A. (2017). What matters, parental or child perceptions of physical activity facilities? A prospective parent-child study explaining physical activity and body fat among children. Psychology of Sport and Exercise.