Obesity epidemiology / Frank B. Hu.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction to obesity epidemiology -- Descriptive epidemiology of obesity trends -- Analytic epidemiologic designs in obesity research -- Interpreting epidemiologic evidence and causal inference in obesity research -- Measurements of adiposity and body composition -- Dietary assessment methods -- Physical activity measurements -- Metabolic consequences of obesity -- Obesity and cardiovascular disease -- Obesity and cancer / Eugenia E. Calle -- Obesity and mortality -- Obesity and health-related quality of life / Daniel Kim and Ichiro Kawachi -- Economic costs of obesity / Graham A. Colditz and Y. Claire Wang -- Diet, nutrition, and obesity -- Physical activity, sedentary behaviors, and obesity -- Sleep deprivation and obesity / Sanjay R. Patel and Frank B. Hu -- Social determinants of obesity / Gary G. Bennett, Kathleen Y. Wolin, and Dustin T. Duncan -- Metabolic and hormonal predictors of obesity -- Developmental origins of obesity / Matthew W. Gillman -- Predictors and consequences of childhood obesity / Alison E. Field -- Genetic predictors of obesity -- Gene-environment interactions and obesity.

During the past twenty years there has been a dramatic increase in obesity in the United States. An estimated thirty percent of adults in the US are obese; in 1980, only fifteen percent were. The issue is gaining greater attention with the CDC and with the public health world in general. This book offers practical information about the methodology of epidemiologic studies of obesity, suitable for graduate students and researchers in epidemiology, and public health practitioners with an interest in the issue. It is structured in four main sections, with the majority of chapters authored by Dr. Hu, and some authored by specialists in specific areas.