Obesity Epidemiology

obesity-epi-test4Obesity Epidemiology (Oxford University Press) provides an in-depth look at the latest research on all facets of obesity—its definition, measurement, causes, and consequences.

Authored by Dr. Frank Hu of the Harvard School of Public Health, with contributions from invited experts, the book begins with an introduction to the research methods that epidemiologists use to tease out the scope and causes of the obesity epidemic. It reviews the latest literature on the link between obesity and increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and mortality. And it takes a chapter by chapter look at obesity’s risk factors, including diet, physical activity, sedentary behavior, and genes, as well as the newly emerging risk factors of sleep deprivation and intrauterine environment.

With its practical information on study designs and methodological challenges, the book will be an invaluable reference for researchers and graduate students. Public health practitioners will also find the book to be a useful guide to state-of-the-art research on the chief determinants and consequences of obesity.

Dr. Hu is a Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology in the Departments of Nutrition and Epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health. He also serves on the Editorial Committee for The Nutrition Source Web site.

Table of Contents

Part I: Study Designs and Measurements

Chapter 1. Introduction to Obesity Epidemiology — Frank B. Hu

Chapter 2. Descriptive Epidemiology of Obesity Trends — Frank B. Hu

Chapter 3. Analytic Epidemiologic Designs in Obesity Research — Frank B. Hu

Chapter 4. Interpreting Epidemiologic Evidence and Causal Inference in Obesity Research — Frank B. Hu

Chapter 5. Measurements of Adiposity and Body Composition — Frank B. Hu

Chapter 6. Dietary Assessment Methods — Frank B. Hu

Chapter 7. Physical Activity Measurements — Frank B. Hu

Part II: Epidemiologic Studies of Consequences of Obesity

Chapter 8. Metabolic Consequences of Obesity — Frank B. Hu

Chapter 9. Obesity and Cardiovascular Disease — Frank B. Hu

Chapter 10. Obesity and Cancer — Eugenia E. Calle

Chapter 11. Obesity and Mortality — Frank B. Hu

Chapter 12. Obesity and Health-Related Quality of Life — Daniel Kim and Ichiro Kawachi

Chapter 13. Economic Costs of Obesity — Graham A. Colditz and Y. Claire Wang

Part III. Epidemiologic Studies of Determinants of Obesity

Chapter 14. Diet, Nutrition, and Obesity — Frank B. Hu

Chapter 15. Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviors, and Obesity — Frank B. Hu

Chapter 16. Sleep Deprivation and Obesity — Sanjay R. Patel and Frank B. Hu

Chapter 17. Social Determinants of Obesity — Gary G. Bennett, Kathleen Y. Wolin, and Dustin T. Duncan

Chapter 18. Metabolic and Hormonal Predictors of Obesity — Frank B. Hu

Chapter 19. Developmental Origins of Obesity — Matthew W. Gillman

Chapter 20. Predictors and Consequences of Childhood Obesity — Alison E. Field

Chapter 21. Genetic Predictors of Obesity — Frank B. Hu

Chapter 22. Gene-Environment Interactions in Obesity — Frank B. Hu