Public Health and Obesity

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses epidemiological principles in identifying who is affected by obesity. It also looks at what constitutes obesity, its changing trend over time and where obesity is most prevalent. The paper analyzes the literature regarding the epidemiology of obesity and examines the case that is made for deeming obesity a public health issue worldwide.

From the Paper:

"As there are many diseases associated with obesity as a risk factor, causality must be determined between obesity and the disease. For example, obesity is one component of metabolic syndrome, which is a syndrome comprised of insulin resistance, central obesity, dyslipidemia and hypertension. In a cross-sectional study by Yoo, Niklas, Baranowski, Zakeri, Jau-Yang, Srinivasan et al (2004) attempted to explore the relation between metabolic syndrome risk factor acquisition and diet in young adults. 1181 young adults aged 19-38 were risk-stratified (no risk, 1-2 risk factors and 3 or more risk factors) and their dietary habits recorded using a self-administered food group consumption questionnaire, where the group with no risk factors tended to consume more fruits, fruit juices and vegetables than those with 1-2 risk factors (3.30 +/- 0.09 vs. 2.99 +/- 0.07 servings per day; p < 0.05) (Yoo, Niklas, Baranowski, Zakeri, Jau-Yang, Srinivasan et al, 2004). In addition, this study also found that sweetened beverage intake among whites with one or more risk factors (1.45 +/- 0.08 vs. 1.77 +/- 0.07 and 2.22 +/- 0.15 servings per day, respectively, in men; 1.26 +/- 0.06 vs. 1.62 +/- 0.05 and 1.78 +/- 0.13 servings per day, respectively, in women; P < 0.001) was significantly higher compared to subjects without risk factors, and was not significant in African Americans (Yoo, Niklas, Baranowski, Zakeri, Jau-Yang, Srinivasan et al, 2004)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Caballero B, Clay T, Davis SM, Ethelbah B, Rock BH, Lohman T et al. (2003). Pathways: a school-based, randomized controlled trial for the prevention of obesity in American Indian schoolchildren. Am J Clin Nutr. 78(5), 1030-8. Retrieved September 27, 2006 from http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/78/5/1030
• CDC. (2006). State-specific prevalence of obesity among adults--United States, 2005 [Abstract]. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep, 55(36), 85-8. Retrieved September 27, 2006 from the PubMed database.
• Freedman, DS, Khan, LK, Dietz, WH, Srinivasan, SR & Berenson, GS. (2001). Relationship of Childhood Obesity to Coronary Heart Disease Risk Factors in Adulthood: The Bogalusa Heart Study. Pediatrics, 108(3), 712-18. Retrieved September 27, 2006 from http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/108/3/712
• International Obesity Task Force [IOTF]. (n.d.). The global epidemic. ITOF.org. Retrieved September 27, 2006 from http://www.iotf.org
• Swinburn, B, Gill, T& Kumanyika, S. (2005). Obesity prevention: a proposed framework for translating evidence into action [Abstract]. Obesity Reviews, 6, 23. Retrieved September 27, 2006 from the PubMed database.

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• Term Paper # 129735 : "Public Health and Obesity"
• Term Paper # 128489 : "Obesity as a Public Health Issue"
• Research Paper # 56072 : "Obesity in America and Public Health"

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