How Children with Special Care Needs Fared Essay

Question #1: Academic Source This research study is from the â€Å"American Journal of Public Health†, Volume 103, and Issue 6. It was published online on April 18, 2013. The authors are, Reem M. Ghandour, D.Ph., Holly A. Grason, MA, Ashley H. Schempf, PhD, Bonnie B. Strickland, PhD, Michael D. Kogan, PhD, Jessica R. Jones, MPH, and Debra Nicholas, MD. This study was printed from the Rock Valley College’s online database. The title of the study is â€Å"Healthy People 2010 Leading Health Indicators: How Children with Special Care Needs Fared†. I pick this study because I am studying to be a pediatric nurse, so children greatly interest me. In high school I had the pleasure to work with about 15 different special need children. It was a really great experience to be able to work with these children since every single one of them was nothing alike. Each had their own unique way of communicating with me. I picked this study because it related to my past experience with children with special nee ds. Question #2: Sociological Theories This study forces on the Interactionist Theory more than the other two theories. This is because in this study it forces more on a group of people, meaning it make is a micro level analysis. The study forces on two groups, Child with Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN) and children without Special Health Care Needs (SHCN), and there interactions with their family and with themselves. With the Functional Theory, it could force on this study saying that with society support and working together and putting the right influences on these children then maybe there would be the problems that we are seeing. We need to provide a stable and safe environment for these groups of people and in time the problem will go away or be lesser then what it is now. However, with the Conflict Theory, it could just forces on how the society and environment has nothing to do with how these children health turn out. That there has to be someone in every level for it to stay balanced. The Conflict Theory is about the differentials in society such as gender, race, education, children with special health needs would be part of this. The struggle the have to go through and what their family has to go through to be able to make it in their class. Question #3: Variables This study doesn’t clearly state a hypothesis; however it does say, â€Å"the goal of this study was to provide a systematic assessment of key national health objectives, traditionally tracked for the population as a whole, but rarely reported or summarized for CSHCN using data from the NSCH† (e2). The independent variables for this study would be physical activity, mental health, environment quality and also access to health care. Even though the hypothesis doesn’t state all of the individual variables as such but it does state is as the overall well-being of the children being studied, there are the children with SHCN and then there are children without SHCN. The dependent variable would be the outcome of the children such as, being overweight or the use of tobacco, their social abilities, sexual behavior, injury and violence. Question #4: Operational Definitions The independent variables are clearly measured in this study. It says â€Å"Children were defined with SHCN if they experienced at least 1 of the 5 consequences associated with a chronic medical, behavioral or other health conditions that lasted or was expected to last at least 12 months. These consequences fell generally into 2 categories: (1) ongoing use of or need for medical, mental health, educational or other health-related therapies, including prescription medications, (2) functional limitations that prevented the child from engaging in age appropriate activities† ( e2). Question 5: Generalizability The generalization of this study was the leading indicator to how children with special health care needs are fared; these are children from just a few months old all the way to age 18. There were 12,820,481 samples from children with special health care needs and 56,916,484 samples from children with no special health care needs in 2003; in 2007 there was 14,136,454 children with special health care needs sampled and 59,622,162 children without special health care needs sampled. There is a huge difference in the number of samples between the two. It should have been a little bit more evened out to get the best results of them both. Question #6: Sample The sample in this study was both random and purposive. It was random because of the type of survey that was used. There was a â€Å"random-digit-dial and a population based telephone survey that fielded through the State and Local Area Integrated Telephone Survey mechanism†. Tis study was made random because it wasn’t based on gender, race, age, or background of the interviewee. However, what makes it purposive was that it only was studying a certain age group, children under the age of 18, with parent consent. That was what the study was basic on along with the randomness of the survey. Question #7: Research Under the size of the study I believe that a quantitative approach to the study was the best way to go. Surveying would be the best considering the about of children in a given area and also the fact that they are children, when they are meet with an unusual situation they may tend to act differently than they would have in the daily living, and also the parents may not have been comfortable have someone question or watching over their children for a research project. So in this study I believe that the authors did they correct approach with going with a survey method. It is less costly and can reach a bigger group of people then with the other methods.