This landmark text is organized into 5 parts comprising 27 chapters, each carefully written in a user-friendly style by experts in the area.  Part I helps the reader to understand the scope and complexity of the problem of obesity. Part II focuses on obesity etiology. Part III examines the health consequences of obesity for both children and adults.  Part IV discusses the challenge of assessing obesity in humans and offers insights into community factors that influence the risk of obesity.  Finally, Part V dedicates 13 chapters to a discussion of a wide variety of obesity prevention and treatment interventions that are currently in use.

Textbook of Obesity is an essential purchase for students and the many health professionals dealing with obesity on a day-to-day basis. A dedicated companion website features an extensive bank of questions and answers for readers to test their understanding, and all of the books illustrations for instructors to download:www.wiley.com/go/akabas/obesity

About the Editors

Sharon R. Akabas has taught a wide range of nutrition-related courses at Columbia University for nearly 30 years. She is particularly interested in helping students understand the complexity of weight, from basic science to practice and policy. She is currently the Director of the MS in Nutrition Program at Columbia's Institute of Human Nutrition.

Sally Ann Lederman has been a faculty member in nutrition and public health at Columbia University since 1983. Most of her teaching and research have focused on the biological and public health aspects of pregnancy and lactation.

Barbara J. Moore has more than 30 years of experience in the field of obesity. Her background includes research, education, policy formulation and program development in the public and private sectors.

Contributors vii

Foreword x

Acknowledgments xi

Glossary xii

Introduction 1

Part I Understanding the Scope3

1 Epidemiology, etiology, and consequences of obesity 5Barbara J. Moore and Xavier Pi-Sunyer

2 Cultural attitudes and biases toward obese persons 42Janet D. Latner, Rebecca M. Puhl, and Albert J. Stunkard

3 The application of public health lessons to stemming the obesity epidemic 58Rodney Lyn, Barbara J. Moore, and Michael Eriksen

4 Psychodynamic approaches to the treatment of obesity 84Bonnie Bernstein and Edward Mandelbaum

Part II Etiology93

5 Genetic contributions to the development of obesity 95Daniel Shriner, Issa Coulibaly,Georgina Ankra-Badu, Tesfaye M. Baye, and David B. Allison

6 Hidden persuaders: environmental contributors to obesity 108Brian Wansink

7 White adipose tissue as a dynamic organ 123Aliki Kosteli and Anthony W. Ferrante Jr.

8 Appetite and body weight regulation 133Joseph R. Vasselli

9 Eating behaviors in obesity: the role of appetite 161Susan Carnell, Leora Benson, and Jane Wardle

10 The relation of pregnancy and lactation to obesity development in the mother and child 181Sally Ann Lederman

Part III Health Consequences197

11 Effect of obesity on development and health in childhood 199Ileana Vargas and Sharron Dalton

12 Impact of obesity during adulthood on chronic disease: diabetes, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and cancer 209Jeanine B. Albu

Part IV Assessment221

13 Measurement of human body composition to assess obesity 223Dympna Gallagher and Jung-Eun Yim

14 Assessment of obesity risk in the community 239Carmen R. Isasi, Nichola Davis, and Judith Wylie-Rosett

Part V Prevention and InterventionApproaches and Settings251

15 Behavioral approaches to the treatment of obesity 253Meghan L. Butryn, Vicki L. Clark, and Maria C. Coletta

16 Non-dieting approaches to the treatment of obesity 273Melissa A. Napolitano and Gary D. Foster

17 Dietary intervention approaches to the treatment of obesity 295Cathy A. Nonas and Karen Reznik Dolins

18 Pharmacological approaches to the treatment of obesity 310George A. Bray

19 Surgical treatment of severe obesity: patient selection and screening, surgical options, and nutritional management 320Marc Bessler, Daniel Davis, Beth Schrope, Akuenzunkpa Ude, Nancy L. Restuccia,Meredith Urban-Skuro, and Mary DiGiorgi

20 Metabolic consequences of weight reduction 333Michael Rosenbaum

21 The role of physical activity in weight loss and weight loss maintenance 344Jamile A. Ashmore, Georita Frierson, and Steven N. Blair

22 The challenge of weight loss maintenance: successful losers 354Rena R. Wing and James O. Hill

23 Treatment of obesity in the primary care setting 365Louis J. Aronne and Judy Townsend

24 Worksite health promotion for obesity prevention 374Wahida Karmally and Megan Tubman

25 Treatment of overweight and obesity in children 384Sharron Dalton and Ileana Vargas

26 School-based interventions for overweight and obesity prevention 400Isobel R. Contento, Pamela A. Koch, and Angela Calabrese-Barton

27 Preventing childhood obesity: It Takes a Nation 424Barbara J. Moore, I. J. Frame, and Ninia Baehr

Index 463