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Handbook of obesity treatment. Second edition.


Handbook of obesity treatment. Second edition

Edited by Wadden TA, Stunkard AJ. The Guildford Press, New York New York, state, United States
New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of
, 2002, 617 pages, $128.00, ISBN ISBN
abbr.
International Standard Book Number


ISBN International Standard Book Number

ISBN n abbr (= International Standard Book Number) → ISBN m 
 1-57230-722-6

The obesity epidemic presents a major therapeutic challenge--with so many affected people, what are the best treatment options? How can a single clinician attempt to understand the theory and practice behind such diverse interventions as behavioural weight control, different dietary approaches, drug therapies, obesity surgery Obesity Surgery Definition

Obesity surgery is an operation that reduces or bypasses the stomach or small intestine so that severely overweight people can achieve significant and permanent weight loss.
, commercial weight loss programs, exercise prescriptions and so on? This book provides a generally very detailed, and often extremely practical, overview of the range of obesity treatments on offer.

The book's editors. Thomas Wadden and Albert Stunkard are well-recognised experts in the field of obesity. Their background in psychology and psychiatry to some extent has influenced the focus of the book. Thus, the psychosocial aspects of obesity and the range of behavioural therapies in the treatment of obesity are particularly well covered in several chapters. However, the editors have also brought together a range of other experts from quite diverse fields that make relevant contributions to the overall aims of the book. Inevitably, the book focusses on studies and interventions from the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. , a situation which has some limitations. For example, most of the treatment options presented are highly resource intensive and individualistic, with little attempt to look at what a coordinated regional, statewide or national strategy for treatment services might be. Nevertheless, much of what is presented is readily transferable to other countries and health care settings.

The book is divided into six parts. There are several excellent initial overviews on such diverse topics as the prevalence and consequences of obesity, the physiology of body weight regulation, energy metabolism Energy metabolism

Energy metabolism, or bioenergetics, is the study of energy changes that accompany biochemical reactions. Energy sustains the work of biosynthesis of cellular and extracellular components, the transport of ions and organic chemicals against
, genetics of obesity, the toxic environment and eating disorders eating disorders, in psychology, disorders in eating patterns that comprise four categories: anorexia nervosa, bulimia, rumination disorder, and pica. Anorexia nervosa is characterized by self-starvation to avoid obesity.  in obesity. The chapter on genetics and common obesities briefly covers gene-environment interactions. It would have been helpful if the authors had tackled this in more detail. For example, why are genetically predisposed pre·dis·pose  
v. pre·dis·posed, pre·dis·pos·ing, pre·dis·pos·es

v.tr.
1.
a. To make (someone) inclined to something in advance:
 individuals so vulnerable in our current obesogenic culture? The subsequent chapter deals with the major environmental changes that have led to the obesity epidemic.

The main sections of the book deal with the health consequences of weight reduction, the assessment of the obese adult patient and treatment of adult obesity adult obesity Public health Overweight in an adult, defined as an average body-mass index of ≥ 27.8 in ♂ and 27.3 in ♀. See Morbid obesity, Obesity. Cf Childhood obesity. . I found the chapters that are written from a psychological perspective to be particularly well written, practical and relevant. For example, the overview of the behavioural assessment of the obese patient provides thoughtful tips for raising the issue in a primary care setting, gives examples of responses that could be used in speaking with patients and outlines the BEST (biological, environmental, social and timing factors) approach to assessment. Rena Wing's chapter on behavioural weight control is another gem, with a clear summary of the evidence behind the use of structured meal plans, home-based exercise programs, motivational strategies and the development of mediabased programs to increase access to interventions. Other excellent chapters cover such topics as popular diets for obesity treatment, drug treatment, exercise interventions, commercial weight-loss programs, surgical treatment, body image disturbance and strategies for long-term weight maintenance. All these chapters seem reasonably accessible to the non-expert clinician and each is written concisely and with helpful tables or diagrams.

While generally extremely good, there are some disappointing parts of the book. For example, there are only two chapters on paediatric Adj. 1. paediatric - of or relating to the medical care of children; "pediatric dentist"
pediatric
 obesity, and no coverage of the clinical assessment of the obese child or the treatment of the severely obese child. Other limitations of the book include fairly weak chapters on the health effects of intentional weight loss (no mention of obstructive sleep apnoea, polycystic ovarian disease polycystic ovarian disease Polycystic ovaries, sclerocystic ovary disease, Stein-Leventhal syndrome Gynecology An idiopathic condition affecting 3.5-7.0% of ♀, and most common cause of familial hirsutism Clinical Obesity, hirsutism, galactorrhea, 2º  or orthopaedic complications) and the medical assessment of the obese adult patient (no discussion of waist circumference).

Despite these limitations, the book provides a wealth of relevant and very readable information for any clinician with an interest in the treatment of obesity. It is suitable for both the expert with an intense knowledge of the field, as well as the general reader who wants an update on this important topic.

Louise A Baur

University of Sydney The University of Sydney, established in Sydney in 1850, is the oldest university in Australia. It is a member of Australia's "Group of Eight" Australian universities that are highly ranked in terms of their research performance.  

Discipline of Paediatrics & Child Health.

The Children's Hospital at Westmead, NSW NSW New South Wales

Noun 1. NSW - the agency that provides units to conduct unconventional and counter-guerilla warfare
Naval Special Warfare
 
COPYRIGHT 2004 Dietitians Association of Australia
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 2004, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.

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Title Annotation:Book Reviews
Author:Baur, Louise A.
Publication:Nutrition & Dietetics: The Journal of the Dietitians Association of Australia
Article Type:Book Review
Date:Jun 1, 2004
Words:685
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