This document outlines a proposed research study that aims to determine whether eating healthy or physical activity has a greater impact on weight loss in Pacific Islanders. The study will use a quantitative, experimental design involving random assignment of participants to groups for a healthy eating plan, physical activity program, or control group. Data on body mass index, body fat percentage, and weight will be collected regularly and analyzed using bivariate analysis to explore relationships between independent and dependent variables. The findings could help professionals better target obesity treatment for Pacific Islanders by identifying the most effective approach.

1. Which factor makes a more effective contribution to
weight loss in Pacific Islanders eating healthy or
physical activity?

2. Outline
1. Aim of research
2. Why I chose obesity as my topic and why i chose my
research question.
3. Why I chose to do quantitative design and the
methods which go with experimental research.
4. How I plan to analyse the data collected in the
experiment
5. The likely implications this research will have on
professional disciplines such as physiotherapy and
dietician’s.
6. References

3. Aim of this research
• The purpose of this study is to find out which
factor eating healthy or physical activity makes
larger contribution to weight loss in pacific
islanders.
Figure: www.google.co.nz/images

4. Why did I choose this particular topic and
research question?
• Personal experiences:
- My family comes from a Pacific Island background and I have
seen many of my family members struggle with their weight,
so finding the right balance between these two factors within
this specific ethnic group may decrease the amount of
overweight people in this population.
• Obesity rates in NZ Pacific Island population:
The 2006/07 New Zealand Health Survey found that:
 One in four adults were obese (26.5%) and that
63.7% of Pacific adults were obese (Ministry of Health, 2007).
 Pacific boys and girls were at least 2.5 times more likely to be
obese than boys and girls in the total population (Ministry of
Health, 2007).

5. Figure H5.2 Age-standardised prevalence of obesity, population aged 15 years
and over, by ethnic group, 1997, 2002/2003 and 2006/2007
Source: Ministry of Health
Why did I choose this particular topic and
research question continued?

6. Why did I choose this particular topic and
research question continued?
• I chose to do this research question because of this alarming
number of Pacific Island people who are obese.
• Pacific Island people use to have diets of traditional/natural foods
such as fresh fruit, fish and vegetables.
• But as large amounts of imported and highly refined Western foods
became easier to gather and contained low in fiber and high in fat
and sugar content.
• Lead to increases in weight in Pacific Islanders

7. Why I chose the specific research design and
methods?
1. Quantitative design
 This approach was better suited to the type of analysis I wanted to do
as I was taking quantifiable data from participants eg. BMI, body fat %
and weight & comparing these numbers within treatment groups.
2. Experimental research:
 The aim was to determine which factor had a better effect on
decreasing weight in Pacific Island people and doing this type of
design and method was the ideal way to find the answer to this
question.
 An experiment in which people get put into Randomised controlled
trials (RCT) which involve the random assigning of subjects to a group
receiving treatment or to a control group not receiving treatment. It is
used to determine the effects of the treatment.
 Eg. Group1= healthy eating plan, group2= physical activity
programme, group3= control group/normal activity and eating.

8. Why I chose the specific research
design and methods continued?
3. Sampling:
 Criteria for selection was random to ensure there was no bias, but also
very specific with respect to age, ratio of genders etc, this was so their
was a fair representation of population as well as excluding those who
had previous injuries and/or had current pathologies.
4. Ethics:
 Informed consent
 No harm to participants
 Right to leave study at any time
 Privacy & confidentiality kept at all times

9. How this study proposes to analyse the data?
• bivariate analysis:
As focusing on the relationship between variables and
explores the statistical relationship between independent
and dependant variables (Babbie, 2008).
Because the aim of study was to find out the relationship
between healthy eating (independent variable) & weight
(dependant variable), Physical activity (independent
variable) & weight (dependant variable) this type of
analysis fitted well with the study.

10. How this study proposes to analyse
the data continued?
• The data collected from every 2nd week and at
the end will be compared to the initial
measurements which will show a trend or
relationship between variables.
• Eg. Bar graphs, line graphs will be used to
show these relationships

11. The likely implications for
professional/discipline practice of the research
study ?
• This research will give a better understanding of what factors
are more effective when looking at obesity in Pacific islanders.
• This in effect will allow better management of those who have
obesity in the pacific island community who are at high risk of
getting other health related diseases such as diabetes and
hypertension (Heyward, 2006).
• In finding out which factor has a larger effect in decreasing
weight we can use this information to focus on prescribing
programmes for Pacific Islanders who are overweight and
emphasising to patients the evidence found in this research.
• This information can be used for this special population to
start off with the factor which has a larger effect in weight loss
and then progress to having both factors to ultimately
decrease their weight to within a normal healthy range.

12. Healthy weight loss
Figure:
www.google.co.
nz/images

13. References
• http://www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/indexmh/obesity-key-
facts
• http://www.socialreport.msd.govt.nz/health/obesity.htm
l
• Babbie, E. (2008). The basics of social research (4th ed.).
Belmont , CA : Thomson/Wadsworth.
• Heyward, V. H. (2006). Advanced fitness and exercise
prescription. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
• http://www.faqs.org/nutrition/Ome-Pop/Pacific-
Islanders-Diet-of.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_research