Childhood Obesity in America


Book Description

Obesity among American children has reached epidemic proportions. Laura Dawes traces changes in diagnosis, treatment, and popular conceptions of the most serious health problem facing American children today, and makes the case that understanding the cultural history of a disease is critical to developing effective public health policy.




Obesity: The Biography


Book Description

According to the World Health Organization we are in the midst of a global obesity crisis. Is obesity a disease itself or a symptom of underlying physiological or psychological illnesses? Is it a sign of social excess and therefore not a disease in the medical sense at all? Is it really 'new'? Sander L. Gilman, a leading authority in the social and cultural history of the body, presents a fascinating account of the history of obesity, looking at the changing attitudes towards the body, from regarding it as 'God's temple' to more mechanical and practical concerns from the Enlightenment onwards. In the eighteenth century obesity was understood as a problem of the affluent; today the affluent are more likely to have a personal trainer and a healthier diet, and it is the poorer classes who are more likely to be overweight. Gilman considers obesity in many contexts - including a chapter on obesity in China and the impact of modernization and Westernization on this very different culture. Taking the issue up to the present day, Gilman examines the wider political and social implications obesity raises, considering whether obesity should be cured by diet or surgery, by psychotherapy or economic improvement, by healthier food choices or by social relocation.




Obesity and Depression in the Enlightenment


Book Description

Medical doctor George Cheyne, little known today, was among the most quoted men in eighteenth-century Britain. A 450-pound behemoth renowned for his Falstaffian appetites, he nevertheless advocated moderation to his neurotic clientele. Cheyne was an early admirer of Isaac Newton and a writer on mathematics and natural philosophy, yet he also linked science and mysticism in his writings. This inventor of the all-lettuce diet was both an author of learned tomes and, to his patients, a fellow sufferer who struggled with obesity and depression. Scientist and mystic, patient and healer, libertine and scholar, Cheyne embodies the contradictions and obsessions of the Age of Enlightenment. Anita Guerrini reconstructs the ideas, events, and interconnections in Cheyne’s era and shows how Cheyne’s life and work uniquely epitomize the transition between premodern and modern culture.




Obesity and Diabetes


Book Description

Obesity has become the most common chronic disease of the present day, with significant increases in prevalence in populations across the world and all age groups. This has resulted in a dramatic increase in obesity-related metabolic and cardiovascular complications, making it an important public health issue. Type 2 diabetes associated with obesity or 'diabesity' is today the most common form of type 2 diabetes. It is also associated with a number of other cardiovascular risk factors, which constitute the metabolic syndrome. Effective management of 'diabesity' is crucial to the reduction of morbidity and premature mortality due to cardiovascular disease. This book comprises chapters written by leading international experts on various aspects of obesity-related diabetes. As a practical reference guide, it is suitable for all professionals with an interest in this field. Emerging problems such as childhood 'diabesity' and the impact of obesity on polycystic ovary syndrome will be of interest not only to paediatricians and endocrinologists, but also to general practitioners and other healthcare professionals. The contemporary approach to the clinical assessment of obesity and its management in both primary and secondary care settings is also described.




International Textbook of Obesity


Book Description

The prevalence of obesity has now reached such proportions that in many parts of the world it is one of the most dominant health problems. Obesity leads to a number of serious diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke and cancer as well as psychological problems and a poor quality of life. Obesity research is now very active and understanding of the disease has greatly increased. The International Textbook of Obesity offers a definitive coverage of the area looking at epidemiology, causes, current research and management. * Gives an up to date account of the field * Edited by a leading expert in the area * Contributions from an impressive array of authors including many from young researchers giving new perspectives on the issues This will be a lasting reference for a wide range of academic and professional health care workers, including obesity research specialists, diebetologists, nutritionists, practising physicians and endocrinologists.




The Surgeon General's Vision for a Healthy and Fit Nation, 2010


Book Description

In the 2001 Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity, former Surgeon General David Satcher, MD, PhD, warned of the negative effects of the increasing weight of American citizens and outlined a public health response to reverse the trend. The Surgeon General plans to strengthen and expand this blueprint for action created by her predecessor. Although the country has made some strides since 2001, the prevalence of obesity, obesity-related diseases, and premature death remains too high.




Handbook of Obesity -- Volume 1


Book Description

In recent years, we've developed a much better grasp of the biological and other factors associated with the development of obesity. Reflecting our evolving understanding of causes and consequences, Handbook of Obesity: Epidemiology, Etiology, and Physiopathology provides comprehensive coverage of the biological, behavioral, and environmental deter




Handbook of Obesity, Two-Volume Set


Book Description

This 2 volume set comprises of the 4th edition of Volume 1 and the 5th edition of Volume 2. The fifth edition of Volume 1 of Handbook of Obesity written by global experts covers the basic science aspects under the broad topic areas of epidemiology, etiology, and pathophysiology of obesity. Divided into 5 sections and detailed in 66 chapters, this edition covers the important advances occurring over the past decades. With a focus on science of obesity and factors participating in the etiology of obesity, this topic is studied from biological, behavioural and environmental perspectives. Volume 1 is structured into 5 parts: Part 1 focuses on the history, definitions, and prevalence of the obesity. It identifies the historical references to excess weight, obesity in art and literature, direct and surrogate measurements of adiposity and obesity related traits, epidemiology of obesity around the globe, and age, sex and ethnic variation completes this part of the volume. Part 2 explains the biological determinants of obesity. It explains the bioenergetics, energy dissipation mechanisms and exposure to experimental overfeeding, genetic and epigenetic evidence, metabolic rates, energy expenditure and energy partitioning, and the evidence on infections and adiposity. Part 3 describes the behavioral determinants of obesity. It deals with chapters related to food, beverages, and ingestive behavior, dealing with smoking, breast-feeding, and sleep duration and pattern, and sedentary behavior, occupational work, and leisure-time physical activity and obesity. Part 4 comprises of chapters explaining the environmental, social, and cultural determinants of obesity. The chapters in this section focus on the role of agriculture and the food industry in the current obesity epidemic, social and economic aspects of obesity, and ethnic and cultural differences and environmental pollutants. Part 5 of this volume discusses the health consequences of obesity. The chapters address important topics such obesity and heart disease, lipoprotein metabolism, insulin resistance and diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cancer, hepatic biology, pulmonary functions, and arthritis and gout, mental health and quality of life, growth and health disorders in pediatric populations, and on bias and discrimination affecting the obese persons. Volume 2 of the 5th Edition of the Handbook of Obesity spotlights on clinical applications for evaluation, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of obesity. It covers on the several major developments occurred between the previous and the new edition, including the effect of SARS-CoV-2 on people with obesity, the concept of "Precision Medicine", and new medications approved by USFDA aiding patients with obesity weight loss of 15 to 20%. This volume is structured into 5 parts: Part 1 provides insights from evolution on changes in diet and physical activity, and the implications and results for preventing obesity, health care costs associated with obesity and the cost-effectiveness of obesity prevention and treatment. Part 2 deals with evaluation of overweight patients, approaches for classifying obesity and using this knowledge to evaluate patients, and addressing ethnic and racial considerations in evaluating patients with obesity. Part 3 explains the impact of lifestyle in managing obesity, which include behavioural management, diet, dietary composition, and meal timing, and the effects of physical activity and exercise in weight loss and weight loss maintenance. Part 4 is focused on medications in the management of obesity. This includes drug selection, various classes of drugs, combination of drugs affecting weight loss, effect of herbal agents on weight loss and treatment of obesity in pediatric populations, genetic diseases causing obesity and the role of drugs in treating the dyslipidemias. Part 5 discusses bariatric surgery, its history, procedure and effects in details, and other surgical techniques including electric stimulation of the vagus nerve, gastric balloons, intestinal liners and liposuction.




Childhood Obesity in America


Book Description

A century ago, a plump child was considered a healthy child. No longer. An overweight child is now known to be at risk for maladies ranging from asthma to cardiovascular disease, and obesity among American children has reached epidemic proportions. Childhood Obesity in America traces the changes in diagnosis and treatment, as well as popular understanding, of the most serious public health problem facing American children today. Excess weight was once thought to be something children outgrew, or even a safeguard against infectious disease. But by the mid-twentieth century, researchers recognized early obesity as an indicator of lifelong troubles. Debates about its causes and proper treatment multiplied. Over the century, fat children were injected with animal glands, psychoanalyzed, given amphetamines, and sent to fat camp. In recent decades, an emphasis on taking personal responsibility for one’s health, combined with commercial interests, has affected the way the public health establishment has responded to childhood obesity—and the stigma fat children face. At variance with this personal emphasis is the realization that societal factors, including fast food, unsafe neighborhoods, and marketing targeted at children, are strongly implicated in weight gain. Activists and the courts are the most recent players in the obesity epidemic’s biography. Today, obesity in this age group is seen as a complex condition, with metabolic, endocrine, genetic, psychological, and social elements. Laura Dawes makes a powerful case that understanding the cultural history of a disease is critical to developing effective health policy.




The Palgrave Handbook of the History of Surgery


Book Description

This handbook covers the technical, social and cultural history of surgery. It reflects the state of the art and suggests directions for future research. It discusses what is different and specific about the history of surgery - a manual activity with a direct impact on the patient’s body. The individual entries in the handbook function as starting points for anyone who wants to obtain up-to-date information about an area in the history of surgery for purposes of research or for general orientation. Written by 26 experts from 6 countries, the chapters discuss the essential topics of the field (such as anaesthesia, wound infection, instruments, specialization), specific domains areas (for example, cancer surgery, transplants, animals, war), but also innovative themes (women, popular culture, nursing, clinical trials) and make connections to other areas of historical research (such as the history of emotions, art, architecture, colonial history). Chapters 16 and 18 of this book are available open access under a CC BY 4.0 license at link.springer.com