An authoritative analysis of the effects that obesity is having on the health and the economic and social well-being of the United States, with a focus on controversies and informed action.
Obesity is America's number one health risk, affecting three out of ten people; nearly two-thirds of the adult population. However, the United States is far from alone in seeing obesity rates accelerate. And because obesity is so pervasive, it is often underestimated and accepted despite it being a serious medical condition.
In this timely and revealing handbook, two of the foremost experts on obesity provide an up-to-date, scientifically accurate, yet accessible study of our current understanding of the causes, consequences, and most effective responses to this persistent health threat.
Obesity: A Reference Handbook helps readers unravel the connections between obesity, genetics, and the environmental and behavioral factors that might exacerbate the condition. It brings together the latest findings from a wide range of recent studies, including those aimed at defining obesity, analyzing diets, and evaluating medication and surgical treatments. The handbook also explores the economic and social ramifications of obesity, covering issues such as weight discrimination and the complex question of how to determine responsibility for prevention and treatment. Readers will also encounter the researchers, businesses, activists, and government agencies working to alleviate obesity in the United States and worldwide.
Features
• Primary source documents, including excerpts from the U.S. Surgeon General's 2001 Call to Action, the 2004 Strategic Plan for NIH Obesity, and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHBLI) Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults (1998)
• List of state and federal government organizations that offer additional information about obesity
• Online resources offering in-depth information on food issues
Highlights
• Examines common causes of obesity, treatment, and prevention including views about genetic determinants
• Covers new, and in some cases, controversial causes of obesity including viruses, sleep disturbances, and the effects of obese friends and family members
• Details how individuals, the government, the health care community, and the private sector are responding to obesity challenges
Judith Stern, Ph.D., is Distinguished Professor at the University of California Davis, Davis, CA. She is cofounder of the American Obesity Association and served on the National Institutes of Health Obesity Task Force. Dr. Stern is an American Heart Association Fellow and has received numberous awards, including the Charles A. Black Award from the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology. She has published over 260 research papers and more than 150 articles in the popular press.
Alexandra Kazaks is a nutrition researcher at the University of California Davis, Davis, CA, and is a consultant for two national health organizations. She has frequently appeared as a featured speaker lecturing about diabetes, weight management, and complementary and alternative health issues.
Reviews
"Stern and Kazaks (both affiliated with Univ. of California, Davis) have written extensively on nutrition and weight. Here they lend their expertise to ABC-CLIO’s “Contemporary World Issues” series, in a volume they hope will be utilized as the reference book regarding obesity in the United States. There’s no question obesity is a big American problem in need of understanding, so the book certainly works as the starting point for interested general audiences. ...BOTTOM LINE The arrangement of information into thematic sections rather than alphabetically, as is the case with Facts On Files’ Encyclopedia of Obesity and Eating Disorders (2006. 3d ed.), is a more coherent and substantive approach to the material. A good resource for public, school, and undergraduate libraries." —Library Journal
"In this reference, Stern and Kazaks, nutrition researchers at the U. of California, Davis, present information on the topic of obesity, including why people gain weight, why they succeed or fail in losing it, and who they believe is responsible. They cover its history, treatments, the controversy over whether it is a disease, healthy weight management, medications, herbs and supplements, surgery, the influence of food advertising, childhood obesity, and recent increases in obesity, and provide short biographies of key individuals, excerpts from documents, and an annotated list of resources and organizations."—SciTech Book News
"Obesity provides general and basic information that is useful to students and anyone interested in learning more about this disease."—ARBAonline
"Obesity discusses all the key issues in the field. Is obesity genetic? Can it be considered a disease? Do
diets work? What about bariatric surgery? The book offers analysis of research and advertisements, and biographies of key figures in the field, scientific and popular. It also provides resources to learn more."—The Sacramento Bee
