Oladipo Eddo & Ryan Bradshaw

Discussion Leadership March 28, 2015

Perceptions of the Environment for Eating and Exercise in a Rural Community Maley et al.

-Begin by talking about obesity and how it has been expanding at epidemic rates and the related
diseases, particularly cancer, associated with obesity
-Provide a background on the study, such as the researchers interest in how the environment
contributes to obesity, as well as individual, social and societal factors
-Summarize the authors focus on environments--social, built, and natural--and the effects these
may have on obesity
-Describe the methods of the study, including the participants and setting in an upstate rural
community of New York
-Explain who the particular participants were--local leaders, and other community members--and
included key characteristics of the participants, such as living in the community more than 5
years; also provide specific demographic information about the participants
-Differentiate between purposeful sampling and snowball sampling (This was a helpful
distinction for your peers.) and how additional participants were found through the snowball
sampling approach
-Summarize the data gathering process that included interviews of 17 individuals and the
inclusion of focus groups
-Stress that an iterative and formative process was used over the 8 months of the research; that a
collaborative and consultative relationship developed between the researchers and the
community participants, so much so that the researchers became quasi-consultants on the related
health issues (weight control/exercise)
-Share the theoretical model of the research; foreground the constructivist dimensions of the
study, including how the local built, natural, social eating, and exercise environments contribute
to dietary and exercise challenges for the participants
-Describe thoroughly the data sources and analysis, including the use of audio recordings of
individual interviews and how this approach led to two focus groups; also the photo elicitation
approach employed by the researchers is described; this involved participants telling their stories
through photos of their lives, meals, routines, etc.
-Summarize how transcripts from both individual and focus group interviews, as well as field
notes were coded and categories were generated; point out that multiple researchers helped
increase validation of the findings, as well as the researchers use of member checking; data,
method and data types were triangulated

-Emphasize the finding that the three types of environments created opportunities and barriers to
healthy lifestyles; also point out that even though the participants owned their obesity and
there was a great deal of desire to be healthy, the participants struggled to achieve a healthy
lifestyle
-Reflect the authors conclusions about the value of the study, particularly that the findings could
be used to help improve guidelines for healthy lifestyles, especially around eating and exercise
-For a class activity, invite peers to complete a map of their eating and/or exercise habits (It was
helpful of you to move around the room to ensure your peers understood the activity.)
-Afterward, ask members of each group to share their food maps (Interesting results that
stimulated more conscientious reflection on food and exercise habits. Also, I like how you
reminded your peers that the mapping exercise could serve as an excellent warm-up to an
individual or focus group interview, as was intended by the researchers.)
-Next, peers are invited to take photos of things in the physical environment of the classroom,
hall, etc. and text it to the discussants (This was an outstanding activity to stimulate genuine
reflection on the emblems of healthy or unhealthy eating and physical activity.)
-Afterward, share a couple of photos taken by class members and invite peers to comment on the
photos they took and what they mean (Again, this stimulated critical conversation that helped
point out the value of using photos from participants to help tell their stories about helath.)

Eddo & Ryan,

An impressive approach to stimulating discussion over an interesting and complex
qualitative research study. You helped your peers better understand the analytical
approach Maley and her colleagues employed to determine from the participants
perspectives their knowledge of and behaviors related to diet and exercise. And your
activities for engaging your peers in discussion, reflection, and simulation were effective in
reinforcing methodology and processes inherent in the Maley et al. piece.
20/20 points