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Source: Nursing Research
Resulting in 2 citations.
1. Magee, Tracy
Lee, Susan M.
Giuliano, Karen K.
Munro, Barbara
Generating New Knowledge From Existing Data: The Use of Large Data Sets for Nursing Research
Nursing Research 55,2S (March-April 2006): S50-S56.
Also: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16601635
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79
Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Keyword(s): Behavior Problems Index (BPI); Children, Behavioral Development; Data Analysis; Home Observation for Measurement of Environment (HOME); Mothers, Education; Motor and Social Development (MSD); Overview, Child Assessment Data; Temperament

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

BACKGROUND: An unprecedented amount of data from a variety of disciplines containing variables of interest to nursing are available to nurse researchers. In response, the use of large data sets is emerging as a legitimate method that can help facilitate the translation of knowledge to practice.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the spectrum of methodological issues and practical applications encountered by three nurse researchers using secondary data analysis of three existing large data sets as a means to ask new questions and generate new nursing knowledge.

METHODS: Three research studies using the analysis of three existing large data sets were described. The following are discussed: developing a theoretical framework, selecting an appropriate data set, operationalizing and measuring variables, preparing data for analysis, and identifying threats to validity and reliability.

RESULTS: Although the use of existing data may shorten the time from question to answer, the research process remains the same. The three research studies were used to illustrate conceptual congruence, threats to internal and external validity, and threats to reliability and generalizability.

DISCUSSION: Data obtained from a variety of disciplines and for a variety of reasons can and should be used to answer nursing practice and research questions. Using existing large data sets offers nurse researchers a unique opportunity to ask and answer questions that can affect how nurses care for patients in a time-effective and cost-efficient manner. Exploring the spectrum of methodological issues and practical applications involved in this work will help guide nurse researchers through the process.

Bibliography Citation
Magee, Tracy, Susan M. Lee, Karen K. Giuliano and Barbara Munro. "Generating New Knowledge From Existing Data: The Use of Large Data Sets for Nursing Research." Nursing Research 55,2S (March-April 2006): S50-S56.
2. Salsberry, Pamela J.
Reagan, Patricia Benton
Pajer, Kathleen
Growth Differences by Age of Menarche in African American and White Girls
Nursing Research 58,6 (November-December 2009): 382-90.
Also: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19680162?dopt=Abstract
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79, NLSY79
Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Keyword(s): Age at Menarche/First Menstruation; Body Mass Index (BMI); Height; Obesity; Racial Differences

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

BACKGROUND:: Because of the rapid increases in childhood obesity coupled with decreases in the median age of menarche, there is interest in how growth (body mass index [BMI] and height) in childhood may be associated with timing of menarche.

OBJECTIVES:: Two research questions were addressed in this article: (a) Within each race, at what ages were BMI and height differences evident among the early-, the mid-, and the late-onset groups? And (b) within each timing group, at what ages were BMI and height differences evident between White and African American girls?

METHODS:: The mother/child files of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth were used for this study. Menarcheal timing groups were identified using the 25th and the 75th percentile of the age distribution for each race. Longitudinal statistical techniques were used to estimate BMI and height as polynomial functions of age and age relative to menarche for African American and White girls.

RESULTS:: Significant differences in BMI by timing group were found. By 3 years of age, significant differences were found between early- and mid-onset African American girls, by 5 years of age between mid- and late-onset African American girls, and by 6 years of age among the three timing groups of White girls. Significant height differences were evident by 5 years of age when comparing early- to mid-onset and mid- to late-onset girls in both race groups. Comparing across race and within timing group, BMI and height differences were evident. African American girls were more likely than White girls to experience accelerated growth and earlier menarche.

DISCUSSION:: This is one of the few longitudinal studies of differences in growth by timing of menarche that includes data on girls younger than 5 years with large samples of both African American and White girls. Understanding when differences are first apparent is critical in establishing the critical period for prevention of these high-risk growth patterns.

Bibliography Citation
Salsberry, Pamela J., Patricia Benton Reagan and Kathleen Pajer. "Growth Differences by Age of Menarche in African American and White Girls." Nursing Research 58,6 (November-December 2009): 382-90.