Post by Day 3 an example of a social problem and a related research problem as it pertains to the topic of Learning in Adults in your program area. Explain the differences between the social problem and research problem you identified.

The topic of Learning in Adults in my program area is Health Literacy in Adults. An example of a social problem as it pertains to Health Literacy in Adults is the increase of obesity rates among adults. In 2017-2018, the obesity rates were 42.4%, which increased from 30.5% from 1999-2000. Obesity can cause serious health risks such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and/or heart disease, and certain cancers (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020).

An example of a research problem as it pertains to Health Literacy in Adults is determining why there is an increase in obesity rates among adults in impoverished communities. The researcher would determine this information by implementing methods such as questionnaires, surveys, and/or interviews.

A social problem is an undesirable situation in one’s community, one that might not require much to research to solve. It could be considered a practical problem with a practical solution (Walden University, n.d.). In the aforementioned example, an increase in obesity rates is a social problem, and it would not take much research to solve this problem. One could research the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other resources to determine obesity rates over a specific amount of time. A research problem, on the other hand is a situation that requires more research (Walden University, n.d.). For example, in this research problem, the researcher would need to spend more time trying to figure out the answer to this problem. The researcher would likely use methods such as surveys and/or interviews.

References:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2020). Overweight & Obesity. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html

Walden University. (n.d.) Research resources: Research Planning & writing. Retrieved June 1, 2020, from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/researchcenter/resources/planng#s-lg-binox-247938