The Childhood Obesity Epidemic: Why Are Our Children Obese--And What Can We Do about It?

This title includes a number of Open Access chapters.

Child obesity is a serious condition that affects children around the world in growing numbers. With obesity comes an increased risk of other chronic diseases as well, making it even more important to understand and treat this condition from a variety of angles. This current volume seeks to understand the phenomenon of child obesity and presents a range of viewpoints on its prevalence, causes, and treatments. The different sections contained within explore the following topics:

- The worldwide prevalence of childhood obesity and its growing effect on children

- The causes of childhood obesity and the complex interactions of genetic, environmental, social, and medical factors that contribute to its development

- Proposed treatments, some intervention-based and others that aim to change how food is marketed and sold to youth

This reference volume offers a comprehensive and thorough guide to a field that is rapidly expanding and points to new directions in research and public policy. Edited by a doctor with extensive experience as a researcher, writer, and medical practitioner, The Childhood Obesity Epidemic is an authoritative and easy-to-use reference that provides resources for researchers in the field, students, and anyone who wishes to gain an overview to this important field of study.

Peter D. Vash, MD, MPH, FACE, assistant clinical professor of medicine at UCLA Medical Center and Fellow of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, is a board-certified internist specializing in endocrinology and metabolism and a Diplomat in Obesity Medicine. He is the past president of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians and served on the board of the North American Society for the Study of Obesity (NASSO). Dr. Vash works in private practice with patients suffering from obesity and eating disorders and has lectured extensively nationally and internationally on the medical management and treatment of obesity. He has been an invited expert witness to speak before a U.S. Senate subcommittee and the FTC concerning medical weight-loss issues and the safety and impact of commercial weight-loss programs. He has written four books: The Fat to Muscle Diet, The Dieter’s Dictionary, A Matter of Fat: A Physician’s Program, and Lose It and Keep It Off. He has served on the board of Shape Magazine, writing numerous articles regarding health, fitness, and weight problems. Dr. Vash has worked closely in consultation with the media (TV, radio, print), aiding them with information and explanations of issues regarding obesity and eating disorders. He is currently the executive medical director of the Lindora Medical Clinics, the largest and oldest medical weight-loss clinic in Southern California.