Academic Success and Professional Development Plan: Part 4: Research Analysis
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Abstract
Breast milk is essential for a baby’s growth because it contains antibodies that help fight off viruses and bacteria. Also, breast milk reduces the chances of a baby contracting asthma and allergies. Therefore, the manner and extent of breastfeeding affect the future life of babies. Curiosity arises when it comes to the possible effects of prolonged and exclusive breastfeeding. This research analysis focuses on an article on breastfeeding and the impact of prolonged and exclusive breastfeeding. The analysis determines that studying the effects of prolonged and exclusive breastfeeding on children at middle childhood age is vital for breastfeeding mothers’ nutritional advice in clinical care. Also, the research was conducted by many scholars who are knowledgeable in matters of health. This guarantees the reliability and validity of the findings and the whole research process. No significant intervention effects manifested on the height, waist circumference, blood pressure, or body mass index from the experiment results. Therefore, prolonged and exclusive breastfeeding has no significant effects on the physical growth of children.
Introduction
Breast milk is essential for a baby’s growth because it contains antibodies that help fight off viruses and bacteria (Kramer et al., 2007). Also, breast milk reduces the chances of a baby contracting asthma and allergies. Research shows that babies who breastfeed exclusively for six months register minimal ear infections, respiratory illness, and bouts of diarrhea (Kramer et al., 2007). The implication is that breast milk plays a significant role in a baby’s life. Many studies show the effects of low breastfeeding in babies at different stages. The focus of this paper is the effects of prolonged and exclusive breastfeeding on children.
Step 1: Research Analysis
| Topic of Interest | Effects of prolonged and exclusive breastfeeding on children | |||
| Research Article | Kramer, M., Matush, L., Vanilovich, I., Platt, R., Bogdanovich, N., & Sevkovskaya, Z. et al. (2007). Effects of prolonged and exclusive breastfeeding on child height, weight, adiposity, and blood pressure at age 6.5 y: evidence from a large randomized trial. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 86(6), 1717-1721. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/86.5.1717 | |||
| Professional Practice Use: | Studying the effects of prolonged and exclusive breastfeeding on children at middle childhood age is vital for breastfeeding mothers’ nutritional advice in clinical care. The effects are spread across several parameters like height, weight, adiposity, and blood pressure. Such knowledge is key to understanding human growth and development and offering advice to mothers on the best breastfeeding habits. | |||
| Research Analysis Matrix | Strengths of the Research | Limitations of the Research | Relevancy to Topic of Interest | Notes
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| The research was conducted by many scholars who are knowledgeable in matters of health. this guarantees the reliability and validity of the findings and the whole research process
| The article only focuses on the effects of prolonged and exclusive breastfeeding on children at the age of 6.5 years. A more extended study group would be more helpful.
| Very relevant | The article is very relevant because my focus is on the effects of breastfeeding on children. The report brings an exciting perspective by looking at how prolonged and exclusive breastfeeding can affect children’s growth parameters. | |
| The study is well structured. It contains an abstract, a transparent background, objective, design, results, and conclusion. It is averagely of the right length and uses professional language easy for readers to understand.
| The article can only be understood by professionals in the field of nutrition and reproductive health. | Very relevant | Readers can grasp concepts that will turn out very helpful when it comes to best breastfeeding practices. This is an excellent example of a quantitative study article worth emulating. | |
| Authors are high qualified and placed in reputable institutions. They are members of the Promotion of Breastfeeding Intervention Trial (PROBIT), the WHO/UNICEF initiative. | Relevant | The readers see the authors as credible and experienced. | ||
| Their research is credible, reliable, and valid as they have employed a large sample for the study and observation. They had 17046 samples of babies in 31 hospitals. Of the total number, the researchers traced 13,889 babies up to the age of 6.5 years. | However, there is nothing from psychiatry entirely. Their focus is only on body development with regards to breastfeeding. | Very relevant | A multi-disciplinary approach to the study would have been more valid and credible. | |
| A study was done on several reputable databases, including CINAHL. There is a lot of quantitative data and a large sample to generalize a large population. | There is less of qualitative data in the research. | Very relevant | The readers can question the management of the large sample to produce reliable findings. | |
Step 2: Summary of Analysis
The Walden database provided a beneficial article on health and health promotion. The library has several databases with excellent peer-reviewed research and experimental studies. In choosing my topic, I used CINAHL Plus with full text to search for my topic about prolonged and exclusive breastfeeding effects. The method proved very beneficial and stood as the best approach for future searches. Other resources available in the database that will be useful in the future include Ovid Nursing Journal Full Text and NAMI.
I once worked in a pediatric ward in a major hospital attending to children who had developed complications related to the low observance of early stages of growth by their caretakers. My interest was drawn into the breastfeeding process’s knowledge, as most cases were due to inadequate breastfeeding. This explains why I chose this article. While using CINAHL Plus with full text, I narrowed down to the peer-reviewed box. Also, I had other characteristics I was looking for in these articles, such as checking the items’ real authors. I focused deeply on the authors’ qualifications and workplaces like hospitals, universities, or any knowledge-based organization. The simplicity of the structure and language proves that the articles are research-based and analytical in creating knowledge. This article is the best recommendation for professional practice.
The article’s focus is on the effects of breastfeeding on children at middle childhood age with specific reference to prolonged and exclusive breastfeeding. One striking element about the authors is the nature of the extensive research that they conducted. The authors based their study on 17046 samples of babies in 31 hospitals (Kramer et al., 2007). Of the total number, the researchers traced 13,889 babies up to the age of 6.5 years (Kramer et al., 2007). Such large samples and a more extended period of monitoring guarantee the reliability and validity of the findings and conclusions are drawn.
The authors belonged to the research initiative, namely the Promotion of Breastfeeding Intervention Trial (PROBIT). This program is an initiative for a randomized trial for a breastfeeding promotion (Kramer et al., 2007). The program is based on the WHO/UNICEF baby-friendly hospital program. The initiative brought together professors from different departments who form the team of authors in the article. The departments include pediatrics, epidemiology, biostatistics, medicine, national research, and applied medicine mother and child center (Kramer et al., 2007). All these portray the seriousness and reliability of the research findings. Many of them hold doctorates in medicine and health sciences with opportunities to lecture in different universities. Their credentials give the reader confidence in trusting in the article for purposes of professional practice. Organizations like WHO and UNICEF are entitled to conduct research and provide directions on different areas of concern globally.
The findings of the study are fascinating and vital for professional practice. From the experiment results, no significant intervention effects manifested on the height, waist circumference, blood pressure, or body mass index (Kramer et al., 2007). Despite the substantial lengthening of exclusive breastfeeding duration, none of the parameters reduced at age 6.5, especially in the experimental group (Kramer et al., 2007). Therefore, the previously reported beneficial effects could be a result of uncontrolled confounding and selection bias.
While searching for information for my topic, I realized I need very analytical and organization skills. First, it was vital to create a record of my searches to prevent repetition and avoid using ineffective keywords. Bookmarking was another relevant skills as it helped to select relevant content for comparison once the list of resources was ready. The bookmarks would also assist me in separating primary sources from secondary sources. I also had to decide on the words to use in the search engine boxes. I focused on terms such as “breastfeeding”, “exclusivity”, “prolonged”, “effects”, and “healthcare”.
Conclusively, Walden Library has a variety of databases rich with resources, both qualitative and quantitative. The resources boast of excellent structures, language, and high credentials for the authors. The research article offers an excellent and reliable study that gives very promising findings. The analysis shows that the article is essential for professional practice. The results that prolonged and exclusive breastfeeding does not affect a child’s weight, height, and blood pressure at 6.5 years are significant healthcare findings, especially for lactating mothers.
References
Kramer, M., Matush, L., Vanilovich, I., Platt, R., Bogdanovich, N., & Sevkovskaya, Z. et al. (2007). Effects of prolonged and exclusive breastfeeding on child height, weight, adiposity, and blood pressure at age 6.5 y: evidence from a large randomized trial. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 86(6), 1717-1721. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/86.5.1717