The Association between Obesity and Heart Disease
Obesity is among the public health concerns globally and has been associated with various health outcomes, more specifically, heart disease. Heart conditions are marked as a leading cause of death in the universe, hence justifying the need to know about the causes and risk factors of heart diseases to mitigate the mortalities associated with heart conditions. Among the identified modifiable risk factors of heart disease is obesity, which has a strong association with heart disease (Powell-Wiley et al., 2021). This paper proposes a research study to explore the relationship between obesity and heart disease using an appropriate epidemiologic study design. Furthermore, the paper will outline the data collection activities, methodologic strategies, and ethical considerations pertinent to the study. Subsequently, this forms the basis for answering the research question: what is the association between obesity and the incidence of heart disease in adults?
The Most Appropriate Epidemiologic Study Design
The most appropriate study design to use in this proposal is the prospective cohort study, which will involve selecting a group of people without any heart disease, categorizing them based on their body mass index, and following them over some time to observe the incidence of heart disease. The selection of this study design is rationalized for a couple of reasons which act as its strengths as follows. Firstly, a prospective cohort study design allows the establishment of a temporal relationship between obesity and the development of heart disease. Secondly, the study design facilitates direct measurement of the incidence of heart disease in different BMI categories. Lastly, it is easy to control confounding variables using the study design. However, this study design is faced with limitations emanating from the time and cost since extensive data collection requires long duration and intensive resources. The second limitation is the loss of follow-up, where study participants are at risk of dropping out over time, which results in bias. To mitigate this, there should be a regular follow-up and maintain participants’ contact (Munnangi & Boktor, 2023).
Methodological Strategies for the Proposed Study
To ensure the reliability and validity of the study findings, various strategies will be used to carefully select and categorize participants, manage potential confounding variables, and ensure rigorous data collection and follow-up procedures.
Selection of Participants
Participants will be selected using the inclusion and exclusion criteria. In the inclusion, adults aged 30-60 years without a known history of heart condition will be eligible for the study. This age range is rationalized by the inclusion of individuals with a high risk of both obesity and heart disease. The exclusion criteria will be used for excluding individuals with a history of heart disease, currently pregnant, and those with other medical illnesses that can independently jeopardize the heart to avoid confounding. During the selection, selection bias will be evaded through random sampling of individuals within the inclusion criteria, and stratified sampling will be conducted to ensure representation from all the BMI categories.
Recruitment
Participants will be recruited from various settings, including healthcare centers, community outreaches, and workplaces, through the use of advertisements, informational sessions, and collaboration with healthcare providers to identify eligible individuals.
Grouping the Participants by BMI
Participants will be categorized into groups based on their body mass indexes, for instance, normal weight, overweight, and obese. This categorization will be guided by the guidelines regarding obesity and weight categorization, which will be obtained through the formula, BMI = weight (kg) / height (m)^2. The normal weight will be 18.5-24.9, overweight 25-29.9, and obese > 30 (Purnell, 2023).
Data Collection Activities
The data collection will be done in two stages, which are baseline data collection and follow-up data collection. On the one hand, the baseline data collection involves questionnaires that will be disseminated to the participants who will complete them, and this will provide demographic information that will include lifestyle functions and medical history. Physical measurements will be done by trained personnel to obtain participants’ height, weight, waist circumference, and blood pressure. BMI will be calculated from the height and weight measurements to help group the participants. Also, during the baseline data collection, biological samples such as cholesterol levels and blood glucose will be obtained to measure biomarkers of cardiovascular health.
On the other hand, follow-up data collection will be done through annual follow-ups, where the study participants will be contacted through online surveys, phone calls, and mailed questionnaires to update information on lifestyle factors, new diagnoses, and changes in health status. Finally, medical records will be reviewed to confirm reported cases of heart disease and gather additional clinical information. Notably, this will be done after obtaining informed consent from the participants.
Strengths and Limitations of These Methods
The approach used in sample selection ensures representativeness from the population within the inclusion criteria, hence avoiding selection bias. Secondly, the approach of data collection ensures comprehensive data collection with baseline data, including a wide range of demographic, lifestyle, and clinical variables, thereby allowing detailed analysis and control of confounding. Also, the physical measurement provides objective data, which enhances study validity. Lastly, the longitudinal study design ensures over time follow-up of participants that establish an easier way to identify any changes in the trends, providing a dynamic view of the association (Capili & Anastasi, 2021).
Limitations
Apart from being time and resource-intensive and resulting in the loss of follow-up, other limitations may include recall and social desire bias emanating from the self-reported data. Lastly, the complexity of data management due to huge data volumes may require expertise in data analysis and also compromise data quality and consistency maintenance (Capili & Anastasi, 2021).
Ethical Considerations Pertaining to the Study
While conducting the study, ethical consideration is paramount to avoid violation of the participant’s humanistic right and evade ensuing legal issues associated with the compromise of ethical principles. To begin with, the principle of obtaining informed consent from the participants will entail sharing comprehensive and honest information regarding the study with the participants and allowing them to choose to participate voluntarily. Secondly, confidentiality is another ethical consideration that dictates that a participant’s information will remain concealed only to the authorized personnel and be used to serve the intended purpose. Thirdly, equity in recruitment efforts will help reach a diversified population. Fourthly, the principle of non-maleficence should be observed during the activities of this study, for instance, when collecting samples. Lastly, another ethical consideration is the impact of the study on the population, and, as such, the study should be beneficial to the community (Haddad & Geiger, 2023). Accordingly, this study will be conducted with respect to these priority ethical considerations alongside other ethical issues in the course of human interactions.
References
Capili, B., & Anastasi, J. K. (2021). Cohort studies. AJN, American Journal of Nursing, 121(12), 45–48. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.naj.0000803196.49507.08
Haddad, L. M., & Geiger, R. A. (2023, August 14). Nursing ethical considerations. StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK526054/#:~:text=There%20are%20four%20main%20principles,This%20is%20known%20as%20autonomy.
Munnangi, S., & Boktor, S. W. (2023, April 24). Epidemiology of study design. StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470342/
Powell-Wiley, T. M., Poirier, P., Burke, L. E., Després, J.-P., Gordon-Larsen, P., Lavie, C. J., Lear, S. A., Ndumele, C. E., Neeland, I. J., Sanders, P., & St-Onge, M.-P. (2021). Obesity and Cardiovascular disease: A scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation, 143(21). https://doi.org/10.1161/cir.0000000000000973
Purnell, J. Q. (2023, May 4). Definitions, Classification, and Epidemiology of Obesity. Nih.gov; MDText.com, Inc. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279167/
ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE
We’ll write everything from scratch
Question 
3- to 4-page paper, not including title page and references, address the following:
Briefly identify the population health topic (association between a risk factor and a health outcome) you selected. Present a research question based on this topic that you would like to answer in a proposed study.
Explain the epidemiologic study design that would be most appropriate to assess and address your population health problem.
The Association between Obesity and Heart Disease
Summarize the data collection activities you would use (i.e., how you would collect data—online survey, paper/pen, mailing, etc.).
Explain any specific methodologic strategies you would use. For example, if you were conducting a case-control study, how would you select your cases and controls?
Consider the methods you would use to make these selections. What are the strengths and limitations of your selected approach?
Explain ethical considerations pertaining to your study.