Research Methods II

Learning Objective 4 Utilize critical thinking skills in the design,

interpretation, application, and ethical conduct of research.
There is an expanse of nutrition topics that need more definitive
research conducted to explain food and body associations that are not
clearly understood. Through the Research Methods II class I was able to see
the opportunities I have to make a difference in the world of science through
research and my passion for nutrition. Conducting quality research is the key
to expanding the evidence based care we give as RDNs. Learning about
how to conduct research is a skill in which it takes a long time to become
proficient. Likewise, research can be cumbersome and difficult to do in
groups of others who do not have a strong background in research. For this
reason, I counted on the help and feedback of my professor as well as the
continued support of my group when completing our research project:
Macronutrient consumption at dinner: associations with sleep quality and
duration.
In regards to the design of the study, the class chose a cross sectional
study to examine the relationship between different nutrient intakes and
their relationship to variables of interest such as sleep duration and sleep
quality as they exist in a defined population (our own class population) over
a short period of time. My group narrowed down what nutrients we would
study to macronutrients (and fiber) only and their effect on the variables of
sleep quality and duration. Initially we wanted to identify a possible
decrease in sleep quality and duration due to the consumption of simple
carbohydrates within 1 hour of bedtime. After looking at the initial food
intake questionnaires; our population group of nutrition students did not
provide us with the necessary intake records to use for such a study. There
were only 1 or 2 outliers that even reported eating carbohydrates within 1
hour of bedtime. So, we adjusted our study to an overall relationship of
macronutrient intake throughout the day to the results of a sleep quality and
duration questionnaire.
The interpretation of the collected information may have been
somewhat misinterpreted throughout the semester. Data analysis and
collection took longer than needed due to software issues that were out of
the researchers control. Some students had to re-enter all their diet recall
information, which may not have been as accurate due to it being from
memory, two days after the initial submission. Cofounding factors such as
these may have caused our data sets to be inaccurate. If we had a
researcher collect the data from each student in a methodical way the
results would have been more accurate. Likewise, had the researchers been

experienced, we may have sorted the necessary information more

accurately. The class used SPSS, version 21.0 statistical software to arrange
the data and our group used it to perform statistical analysis on our study
variables. We used descriptive statistics are expressed as a means, the
standard deviation and the maximum and minimum of the scores measured
of 23 for the category (the number of participants). An analysis of variance
(ANOVA) was performed to determine the associations of dietary variables
(independent variables) with sleep variables (dependent variables). After
thinking critically through the expected results, the associative variables we
chose to study included carbohydrates and sleep duration, sugar and sleep
duration, fat and sleep duration, fiber and sleep duration, sugar and fat and
sleep duration, sugar and fiber and sleep duration, and fat and fiber and
sleep duration. Our confidence interval was set at 95% and significance was
set at P < 0.05.
The data we collected was for learning purposes only, so our research
was done without any IRB approval, which was confirmed to be an ethical
decision by out professor and the nutrition department. In other
circumstances, such as in our business plan research with a local prenatal
clinic, CIMA International, we did go through the IRB approval process to
protect the research subjects and to identify a just cause for our research.
Through that process I learned the importance of being very specific and
clear about what and who will be included in that research, how the research
will be conducted to align with the strict United States Department of Health
and Human Services guidelines, and lastly how the research results will be
used.
Our results concluded that there were no associations between any of
the variables mentioned previously. Our study population was a small group
of nutrition students, which is not characteristic of off balance eating
patterns, so for more associations to be made, a larger group should be
studied to further research the macronutrient distribution in college students
at large, not only nutrition students. Along with the results we obtained on
macronutrients, other groups studied micronutrients, sleep and food choices,
etc. There are many possibilities that would make a good quality study
possible with the framework we put together in Research Methods II. As
mentioned earlier, there is room for improved results with better
questionnaire documentation. There are other considerations that the other
groups in our class may have identified as limitations as well, but there are
some great advantages for further studies in this area to be conducted.
In summary, our first research class was to familiarize ourselves with
terminology and steps of conducting a research project. Research Methods II
was designed to allow us the opportunity to put our one semester of

knowledge into action with this small mock study design within our own
group of students. I found this activity to be extremely revealing and
effective at showing us the importance of quality research with a proper
population group in a setting of properly documented data. Over the course
of the semester I had a hard time thinking critically due to my inexperience
with research. As I mentioned earlier, research is a skill that is learned over
time, not merely 6 months. As I move toward a career in dietetics, I can
definitely see myself conducting meaningful research, possibly alongside
someone with more experience to mentor me. The challenge of possibly
making associations, correlations, or discoveries in science is intriguing, so I
plan to incorporate it into my career path. Prior to this class I was not
interested in doing research, so I am grateful for having had the opportunity
to experiment in it through the Research Methods II class.