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.

Introduction Part I: Prevalence A Multilevel Approach to Estimating Small Area Childhood Obesity Prevalence at the Census Block-Group Level; Xingyou Zhang, Stephen Onufrak, James B. Holt, and Janet B. Croft Unexpected Plateauing of Childhood Obesity Rates in Developed Countries; Martin Wabitsch, Anja Moss, and Katrin Kromeyer-Hauschild Prevalence, Disparities, and Trends in Obesity and Severe Obesity Among Students in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, School District, 2006–2010; Jessica M. Robbins, Giridhar Mallya, Marcia Polansky, and Donald F. Schwarz Part II: What Makes Our Children Obese and Overweight? Physical Activity, Screen Time and Obesity Status in a Nationally Representative Sample of Maltese Youth with International Comparisons; Andrew Decelis, Russell Jago, and Kenneth R. Fox Impulsivity, "Advergames," and Food Intake; Frans Folkvord, Doeschka J. Anschütz, Chantal Nederkoorn, Henk Westerik, and Moniek Buijzen Assessing Causality in the Association between Child Adiposity and Physical Activity Levels: A Mendelian Randomization Analysis; Rebecca C. Richmond, George Davey Smith, Andy R. Ness, Marcel den Hoed, George McMahon, and Nicholas J. Timpson Associations Between Eating Frequency, Adiposity, Diet, and Activity in 9–10-Year-Old Healthy-Weight and Centrally Obese Children; Amy Jennings, Aedín Cassidy, Esther M.F. van Sluijs, Simon J. Griffin, and Ailsa A. Welch Role of Developmental Overnutrition in Pediatric Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes; Dana Dabelea and Curtis S. Harrod Part III: What Can We Do to End the Epidemic? Protecting Children from Harmful Food Marketing: Options for Local Government to Make a Difference; Jennifer L. Harris and Samantha K. Graff Life Course Impact of School-Based Promotion of Healthy Eating and Active Living to Prevent Childhood Obesity; Bach Xuan Tran, Arto Ohinmaa, Stefan Kuhle, Jeffrey A. Johnson, and Paul J. Veugelers Modeling Social Transmission Dynamics of Unhealthy Behaviors for Evaluating Prevention and Treatment Interventions on Childhood Obesity; Leah M. Frerichs, Ozgur M. Araz, and Terry T–K Huang Effects of an Intervention Aimed at Reducing the Intake of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages in Primary School Children: A Controlled Trial; Vivian M. van de Gaar, Wilma Jansen, Amy van Grieken, Gerard J.J.M. Borsboom, Stef Kremers, and Hein Raat Listening to the Experts: Is There a Place for Food Taxation in the Fight Against Obesity in Early Childhood?; Erin Pitt, Elizabeth Kendall, Andrew P. Hills, and Tracy Comans The Costs and Cost-Effectiveness of a School-Based Comprehensive Intervention Study on Childhood Obesity in China; Liping Meng, Haiquan Xu, Ailing Liu, Joop van Raaij, Wanda Bemelmans, Xiaoqi Hu, Qian Zhang, Songming Du, Hongyun Fang, Jun Ma, Guifa Xu, Ying Li, Hongwei Guo, Lin Du, and Guansheng Ma Index

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.