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4 pages/β‰ˆ1100 words
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3 Sources
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APA
Subject:
Psychology
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Research Proposal
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English (U.S.)
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Topic:

Psychological Factors of Obesity

Research Proposal Instructions:

 

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PSY-530 – Social Psychology

Topic 8 Research Paper


Throughout the program, you should be thinking of a research topic you would like to explore. In the capstone course (PSY-693), you will create a research proposal. To assist you in the creation of that proposal, you have decided on a research topic and begun collecting empirical studies to support the need for research. Your topic must relate to a basic social psychological principle; however, it can fall into one of the applied subfields (forensic psychology, psychology of religion, industrial organization, health psychology, etc.).

For this assignment you will begin analyzing the current research around your chosen topic.

Using the empirical articles you have collected thus far, compare the current research for your chosen topic, in 1,250-1,500 words. The following information will assist in the analysis of the literature:

Introduction: This section should include your research question with a brief explanation of why the research is needed.

Compare and analyze the literature in the articles collected.

Compare the limitations of the studies you have collected.

A conclusion that includes how your research will add to the current field of research.

Prepare a document that includes your research question(s), including how your research will add to the current research in your chosen field (from your Topic 3 assignment). Your document will include five scholarly, peer reviewed, empirical studies from the past 5 to 7 years. This section should include APA formatted citations for each article, including permalink or doi number.

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. A link to the LopesWrite technical support articles is located in Class Resources if you need assistance. 

 

Psychological Factors in Obesity

Introduction

Adolescent overweight & obesity (AOO) is a global public health concern as children and adolescents are increasingly raised in environments or cultures that limit engagement in physical activities but ease indulging in a cheap fast-food culture. Literature on obesity consistently provides evidence for the physical health risks associated with adolescent and childhood obesity. However, in recent years, the relevance of psychological factors behind behaviors that increase obesity risks has gained scholars' attention. In essence, co-morbid psychological problems of obesity are either causal or maintaining factors of obesity with a significant impact on treatment or management outcomes. Thus, the current paper aims to investigate the extent to which these factors are causative or maintaining factors of obesity.

Research Question

To what extent do patient psychological factors influence treatment outcomes in children and adolescents with overweight or obesity disorder? Answers to this question will expand current knowledge and perspectives on obesity as experts strive to find cheap and accessible prevention solutions. Thus, the research is motivated by the need to limit household expenditures on preventable obesity or overweight conditions.

Contemporary Empirical Literature

In their study, Moraes et al. (2021) conducted a randomized clinical trial on the cognitive-behavioral approach to obesity treatment. Variables in the study included eating behaviors, depression levels, anxiety, anthropometric profiles, and quality of life among 43 adults. Findings indicated that cognitive behavior therapy could significantly improve eating behaviors, increase the

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quality of life, and reduce levels of depression. This article is important because it reinforces the relevance of psychological factors to treatment outcomes. In a similar study, Levinge, Stapleton, and Sabot (2020) sought to delineate successful weight loss maintenance psychological factors. In the study, 105 community participants reduced their body weight by at least 10% and maintained their weight for a minimum of 12 months. Findings from the study highlighted the importance of restrained eating over emotional eating, uncontrolled eating, or fat intake. This study further upholds the efficacy of psychological approaches in improving treatment outcomes in obesity.

In a different study, Robitzsch et al. (2020) investigated the impact of the availability of psychological resources on body-mass-index among patients recovering from obesity therapy. The study focused on a cross-sectional study involving 127 consecutive obesity surgery candidates where authors interrogated outcomes based on depression and eating behavior. Based on the outcomes, the authors concluded that psychological resources are relevant in obesity as they reduce depressive symptoms and improve eating habits. Similarly, Mazurak (2021) established that children and adolescents with obesity reported sleeping difficulties, which worked to maintain the obesity conditions. These findings are vital to the current study because they show that psychological factors maintain obesity and, if not addressed, may work against treatment efforts.

These first four sources focus on the psychological challenges of individual subjects. However, some studies also highlight the importance of psychological factors when treating obesity with the family's involvement. In such a study, Phan et al. (2018) assessed the impact of psychological factors on outcomes among families seeking obesity treatment. The researchers followed 100 participants aged between 4 and 12 years in a weight management clinic. Findings

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show that children at risk of more psychological factors were 2.9 times more likely to experience non-clinically meaningful changes in BMI.

 

 

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References

Levinge, E., Stapleton, P., & Sabot, D. (2020). Delineating the psychological and behavioural factors of successful weight loss maintenance. Heliyon.

Mazurak, N., Cook, J., Weiland, A., Ritze, Y., Urschitz, M., Junne, F., . . . Mack, I. (2021). Impact of Childhood Obesity and Psychological Factors on Sleep. Frontiers in Psychiatry.

Moraes, A. d., Padovani, R. d., Teixeira, C. L., Cuesta, M. G., Gil, S. d., de Paula, B., . . . Gomes, R. J. (2021). Cognitive-Behavioral Approach to Treat Obesity: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Frontiers in Nutrition.

Phan, T.-L. T., Chen, F. F., Pinto, A. T., Cox, C., Robbins, J., & Kazak, A. E. (2018). Impact of Psychosocial Risk on Outcomes among Families Seeking Treatment for Obesity. The Journal of Pediatrics.

Robitzsch, A., Schweda, A., Hetkamp, M., Niedergethmann, M., Dörrie, N., Herpertz, S., . . . Skoda, E.-M. (2020). The Impact of Psychological Resources on Body Mass Index in Obesity Surgery Candidates. Frontiers in Psychiatry.

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Research Proposal Sample Content Preview:
Psychological Factors of Obesity: Literature Analysis
Introduction
Obesity among children and youth is a global public health concern. In the USA, the CDC (2022) estimates that 41.9% of the population (as of March 2020) is obese. Between 1999 and 2017, obesity prevalence increased from 30.5% to 41.9%, growth in tandem with enabling environmental factors like an increase in sedentary lifestyle, poor diet choices, the prevalence of fast and processed foods, and increased consumption of sugar and fats. Therefore, contemporary research on prevention, management, and treatment has mainly focused on such factors. However, some scholars have gained attention to the psychological factors that enable and maintain obesity. Addressing psychological factors promises a cost-effective approach to mitigating this public health concern. In this regard, the current paper analyzes existing research on psychological factors of obesity by comparing literature and highlighting limitations across different authors or scholars.
Literature Comparison: Analysis
Being overweight and obese is an alarming global health problem that calls for effective intervention. As part of this intervention, considerable research has examined psychological factors associated with obesity. Levinge, Stapleton, and Sabot (2020), for instance, aimed to develop and psychological profile based on factors of eating behaviors, personality, emotional functioning, and psychopathology. To achieve this, Levinge and colleagues sampled 105 community participants who had recently reduced their body weight by 10%, maintained weight for at least 12 months, or gained weight loss within the past 12 months. Through surveys, the authors established that factors like uncontrolled eating, emotional eating, and restrained eating (all psychological factors) significantly impacted weight gain, loss, or maintenance.
In a different study, Moraes et al. (2021) posited that obesity can be treated through a cognitive-behavioral approach. At its core, the cognitive-behavioral approach holds that the learning process underpins the development and maintenance of addictive behaviors such as addiction to sugar. This means that by attacking the psychological mechanisms that influence lifestyle and food choices, effective treatment of obesity could be realized. Thus, in their randomized clinical trial, Moraes' team randomly assigned 43 members to three groups: education & health, physical exercise, interdisciplinary therapy, and cognitive behavior theory. The most significant finding came from this last group, where it was established that appeal to psychological factors produced an increase in quality of life in all domains (environmental, social, physical, and psychological).

Taking a different approach to the topic, Phan et al. (2018) aimed to test the hypothesis that children with elevated psychological risks would have increased attrition and poor weight outcomes in any weight management treatment or plan. Their study focused on 100 new patients aged between 4 to 12 years in a weight management clinic. After adjusting for child demographics and baseline weight category, researchers performed a logistic regression analysis to calculate the odds of attrition from the cl...
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