Data collection and analysis
Sampling method will be used to choose participants in this particular study. Participants will be chosen from the adolescent and women prenatal clinics to get a representation from both young and old age groups. People who attend the prenatal clinic from July 2019 to July 2021 will be considered to get a bigger range of a sample. Both the native English speaking women and foreign non-English women that have the consent to speak and make choices will be included in the sample. The researcher will obtain legal permission from the Human Studies Committee before carrying out the research. The agreement will give the researcher powers to sample women to participate without risking litigation from individuals and human rights groups (Grove & Gray, 2018). Data obtained from participants will only be used for purposes of research since its confidentiality will be guaranteed. To make sure that there is easy scheduling of interviews and participants do not wear out, each one of them will receive $5 for facilitation. 45 pregnant women will be selected for this study. Data collection for two years will give the researcher time to increase the coverage and get information from different people (Trochim, Donnelly & Arora, 2016). The larger group of participants and diverse group will offer vital information for the researcher to make valid conclusions.
Bilingual interviewers who understand two major languages will be trained before being sent into the field to interview a selected of participants (Trochim et al. 2016). Closed-ended questions on the frequency and timing of using illegal substances such as cocaine, marijuana, alcohol, cigarettes, and others during and after pregnancy will be presented to participants. Respondents will also be asked on the quantities of the substances abused before, during and after the pregnancy. Urine samples will also be collected from the participants after seeking their consent. The samples will be tested for the presence of marijuana and other non-prescribed drugs which will remain confidential. The participants will be informed of the tests, but the information will not be part of their clinical record. Information about the health and reproductive histories, psychosocial characteristics, demographic characteristics and weight of the mother before pregnancy will be recorded. After pregnant mothers delivered children, collected information will be transferred from mothers’ medical record to a precoded protocol according to the prescribed code of ethics (In Kelsey, In Nagtalon-Ramos & Kelsey, 2018). The protocol will have general health information about the mother, prenatal risk factors and reproductive data.
The birth weight of infants after delivery will be measured within 72 hours by pediatricians that do not know about the ongoing research. The reason for choosing pediatricians who do not know about the study being carried out is to eliminate biases in the information obtained. The urine samples from mothers will be refrigerated before taken to the laboratory for testing purposes. To minimize the analytical variation in the sample tests, the analysis will be done in batches of 100. Cocaine and marijuana metabolites will be assessed after exposure to Tetrahydrocannabinol. Any sample that tested positive during the analysis will be retested to make sure that the results are correct.
Data analysis
Since this is a quantitative research study, bivariate comparison technique of data analysis is the most appropriate. The comparison will be made using the chi-square tests for statistical significance with focus on the categorical data whereas the t-test will be done in a separate analysis. Comparisons between the chi-square test and t-test will be made for continuous data to determine the statistical significance. The logistic regression model will be used in this data analysis process. Two-tailed p-values will be obtained during the data analysis process. Due to the many risk factors under consideration, multivariate data analyses will be carried out using the multiple regression of least squares for dependent variables. For a complete and accurate statistical comparison, the researcher will transform the independent variables’ values such as gestational age, daily alcohol, and cigarette intake; maternal age will be transformed to suit the underlying assumptions made for the least square regression. The data analysis will seek to establish the relationship between substance abuse and intrauterine growth. Apart from the regression analysis, a hypothesis will be stated on whether substance abuse impedes intrauterine growth. Therefore, the data analysis will give the researcher a basis to support or disapprove the null hypothesis.
IRS and Confidentiality
Participants will be drawn from pregnant women that attend the prenatal clinics at the University of Mexico in Albuquerque. Both the native and non-native women will be selected for the study to make sure that different races are represented in the research study. A representative sample for various races is necessary because findings from this research will help in the formulation of an all-inclusive intervention for the population. With the help of the power analysis, the researcher determined that a sample of 45 participants will be appropriate for the study to be conclusive. From a two-tailed test of 5% significance level and 80 percent power, the researcher established that this sample size is ideal.
Furthermore, the slightly small sample size is chosen because of the associated research costs. From a research point of view, the sample size is large enough for the research to be carried out. The study will focus on two major clinics. 25 participants will be drawn from one clinic and 20 from another clinic to ensure their fair sample distribution. In this study, fetus will also take part, and due to their vulnerability, the researcher deems it fit to engage specialized pediatrics to obtain consent from their parents before any data is collected from them. Non-probabilistic convenience sampling technique will be employed in selecting the sample population to participate in the research (In Boswell, C., & In Cannon, 2018). This type of sampling is premised on the fact the research is not based on a true experiment even though the research objective needs to be achieved.
The participants will be interviewed by the researcher in collaboration with other trained bilingual interviewers from a private place set aside in the clinics. It should be noted that no participant will be compelled to answer to participate in the interview (Trochim, Donnelly & Arora, 2016). Only general questions will be asked, but in case any personal question is asked, the participant is at liberty to decline to answer. Utmost confidentiality will be ensured for the data collected during the research. The data collected will be kept by the researcher and no unauthorized person will access the data. Data will only be used for the research purposes as it will be stated before interviews with pregnant women kick off.
References
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Grove, S. K., & Gray, J. (2018). Understanding nursing research: Building an evidence-based practice.
In Boswell, C., & In Cannon, S. (2018). Introduction to nursing research: Incorporating evidence-based practice.
In Kelsey, B., In Nagtalon-Ramos, J., & Kelsey, B. (2018). Midwifery & women’s health nurse practitioner certification review guide.
Trochim, W. M. K., Donnelly, J. P., & Arora, K. (2016). Research methods: The essential knowledge base. Boston : Cengage Learning, 2016.