Research Questions and Review Article Review

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Gouveia, Gouveia, Hale et al. (2017)

"Correlates of health-related quality of life in young-old and old -- old community-dwelling older adults"

Although the authors framed the research problem of interest in terms of the purpose of the study, the abstract does contain all of these basic elements. The acronyms, HRQol.,HRQol-SF and BMI, though, are not defined in the abstract and they are not defined until they are first used in the first three paragraphs of the introduction that follows, leaving readers to figure out what the terms mean (except perhaps BMI which is fairly commonplace) by either revisiting the title, searching elsewhere or reading ahead to determine their meanings. Moreover, the terms "young-old" (i.e., those aged 60-69 years) and "old-old" (those aged 70 to 79 years) are not defined until the authors describe the population in the methodology section that follows the introduction.

Introduction / Statement of the problem:

Although the statement of the problem is not specifically labeled as such, the introduction uses several paragraphs to provide the background of the study, including the known correlates of health-related quality of life among the elderly and why the authors believe that additional research is needed based on a cogent, persuasive argument in support of their rationale. Because it is not specifically labeled and the actual purpose of the study is not described until the end of the introduction, the problem of interest is not readily identifiable but it is stated unambiguously. Moreover, the research problem of interest in this study has widespread significance for clinicians of all disciplines, including professional nurses, who provide healthcare services for the elderly.

To their credit, there was good alignment between the articulated research problems and the methodology used to investigate the correlates of health-related quality of life factors among the community-dwelling elderly participants in this study and the researchers used to relatively large sample size (802 participants). Because the researchers used several questionnaires with known validity and reliability to develop the data needed to provide timely and accurate answers to their guiding research questions, a quantitative approach was appropriate and required.

Hypotheses or research questions:

There was no guiding hypothesis or null hypothesis used and the research questions are framed in terms of the overarching research purposes (i.e., "to examine the role of potential correlates of HRQol. in a large representative sample of older adults" and "to investigate whether the relationship between HRQol. and potential factors differ as a function of HRQol. component [physical vs. mental] and/or age cohort [young-old vs. old-old])" (p. 2) which are appropriately worded and include mention of the key variables of interest. The research purposes are also congruent with the conceptual framework and brief literature review that were provided in the introduction concerning past studies of correlates of quality of life factors among the elderly which highlighted gaps in the existing body of knowledge.

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Literature review:

Although no specific literature review section is included in this study, the authors draw on relatively recent studies (e.g., ranging in dates from 1982 through 2016 with the majority being within the last 10 years) in the introduction and discussion sections that interpret the findings that emerged from their data analysis with previous studies. Of the 42 references used in this study, six were primary sources which provide a current synthesis of evidence concerning the issues of interest, and the brief literature review presented in the introduction provides a sound basis for the instant study.

Conceptual/theoretical framework:

The conceptual/theoretical framework and/or map used to guide this cross-sectional research were not specifically described as such, nor were their absence justified by the researchers; however, the key concepts involved in the study were operationalized at some point and the rationale in support of their study was thoroughly described.

Method:

The researchers report that all participants were volunteers and the study was approved by the Scientific Commission of the Department of Physical Education and Sports of the University of Madeira, the Regional Secretary of Education and Culture as well as the Regional Secretary of Social Affairs. In addition, Gouveia et al. also report that all participants were consented prior to commencement of the study which was also in compliance with the declaration of Helsinki concerning the protection of human rights in clinical studies.

There is no indication, though, that the study was ever externally reviewed by an institutional review board (IRB) or ethics review board. The authors do state, however, somewhat cryptically, that "All procedures were in accordance with the ethical standards of an institutional research committee" (p. 7) but do not specify which institutional research committee or even whether such a review actually took place. In addition, it should also be pointed out that while the administration of the self-report and face-to-face questionnaires in and of themselves did not necessarily present any particular threat to the well-being of the participants, the researchers also used two physical strength tests (i.e., an arm curl test to measure body strength and a 6-minute walk test to evaluate aerobic endurance levels) that may have represented a potential threat to the participants, especially those participants aged 70 years and over and there was no indication that were was an attempt to minimize these risks or maximize the benefits to the study's participants.

Research design:

While it is reasonable to suggest that virtually any study could be….....

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