Overview

There is an urgent need to better understand the causes and consequences of obesity, and to learn what works to prevent or reduce obesity. This volume accurately and conveniently summarizes the findings and insights of obesity-related research from the full range of social sciences including anthropology, economics, government, psychology, and sociology. It is an excellent resource for researchers in these areas, both bringing them up to date on the relevant research in their own discipline and allowing them to quickly and easily understand the cutting-edge research being produced in other disciplines. The Oxford Handbook of the Social Science of Obesity is a critical reference for obesity researchers and is also valuable for public health officials, policymakers, nutritionists, and medical practitioners.The first section of the book explains how each social science discipline models human behavior (in particular, diet and physical activity), and summarizes the major research literatures on obesity in that discipline. The second section provides important practical information for researchers, including a guide to publicly available social science data on obesity and an overview of the challenges to causal inference in obesity research. The third part of the book synthesizes social science research on specific causes and correlates of obesity, such as food advertising, food prices, and peers. The fourth section summarizes social science research on the consequences of obesity, such as lower wages, job absenteeism, and discrimination. The fifth and final section reviews the social science literature on obesity treatment and prevention, such as food taxes, school-based interventions, and medical treatments such as anti-obesity drugs and bariatric surgery.

Full Product Details

Author:   John Cawley (Associate Professor, Associate Professor, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press Inc
Imprint:   Oxford University Press Inc
Dimensions:   Width: 24.90cm , Height: 4.60cm , Length: 18.50cm
Weight:   1.794kg
ISBN:  

9780199736362

ISBN 10:   0199736367
Pages:   912
Publication Date:   17 November 2011
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: John Cawley of Cornell University Part 1: Disciplinary Perspectives on Obesity: 2. The Epidemiology of Obesity: Aviva Must and E. Whitney Evans of Tufts University 3. The Demography of Obesity: Christine L. Himes of Syracuse University 4. The Cliometrics of BMI and Obesity: Scott Alan Carson of University of Texas - Permian Basin 5. The Anthropology of Obesity: Amanda L. Thompson and Penny Gordon-Larsen of University of North Carolina 6. The Psychology of Obesity: Ashley Moskovich of Duke University, Jeff Hunger of California State University at Fullerton, and Traci Mann of University of Minnesota. 7. The Sociology of Obesity: Jeffrey Sobal of Cornell University 8. The Economics of Obesity: John Cawley of Cornell University 9. Behavioral Economics and Obesity: Julie S. Downs and George Lowenstein of Carnegie-Mellon University 10. Obesity Politics and Policy: Rogan Kersh of New York University and James Morone of Brown University 11. Fat Studies: Esther D. Rothblum of San Diego State University Part 2: Data and Methods 12. Publicly-Available Data Useful for Social Science Research on Obesity: Inas Rashad Kelly of Queens College, City University of New York 13. The Complex Systems Science of Obesity: Diane T. Finegood of Simon Fraser University 14. Challenges for Causal Inference in Obesity Research: M. Christopher Auld of University of Calgary and Paul Grootendorst of University of Toronto Part 3: The Causes and Correlates of Diet, Physical Activity, and Obesity 15. Race, Ethnicity and Obesity: Renee Walker and Ichiro Kawachi of Harvard University 16. Socioeconomic Status and Obesity: Lindsay McLaren of University of Calgary 17. The Nutrition Transition and Obesity: Barry M. Popkin of University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill 18. Peer Effects and Obesity: Jason M. Fletcher of Yale University 19. Maternal Employment: Patricia M. Anderson of Dartmouth College 20. Depression and Obesity: Ellen Granberg of Clemson University 21. Food Marketing, Television and Video Games: Elizabeth A. Vandewater of Research Triangle Institute and Ellen A. Wartella of Northwestern University 22. Portion Size and the Obesity Epidemic: Tanja V.E. Kral of University of Pennsylvania and Barbara J. Rolls of Pennsylvania State University 23. Mindless Eating: Brian Wansink of Cornell University 24. Food Assistance and Obesity: Michele Ver Ploeg of U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service 25. Physical Activity and the Built Environment: James F. Sallis, Marc A. Adams, and Ding Ding of San Diego State University 26. Food Deserts: Dianna Smith and Steven Cummins of University of London 27. Food Prices, Income and Body Weight: Darius Lakdawalla of University of Southern California and Yuhui Zheng of the National Bureau of Economic Research 28. Agricultural Policy and Childhood Obesity: John Cawley of Cornell University and Barrett Kirwan of University of Maryland Part 4: The Consequences of Obesity 29. Obesity and Medical Costs: Eric Finkelstein and Hae Kyung Yang of Duke University / National University of Singapore 30. Obesity and Mortality: Neil K. Mehta of University of Michigan and Virginia W. Chang of University of Pennsylvania 31. Schooling and Human Capital: Khoa Truong of Clemson University and Roland Sturm of RAND 32. Labor Market Consequences: Employment, Wages, Disability, and Absenteeism: Susan L. Averett of Lafayette College 33. Bias, Stigma and Discrimination: Rebecca M. Puhl of Yale University 34. Medical and Social Scientific Debates over Body Weight: Abigail C. Saguy of University of California - Los Angeles and Paul Campos of University of Colorado Part 5: Social Science Insights into Prevention, Treatment, and Policy 35. The Imperative of Changing Public Policy To Address Obesity: Christina A. Roberto and Kelly D. Brownell of Yale 36. Economic Perspectives on Obesity Policy: Tomas J. Philipson and Richard A. Posner of University of Chicago 37. Lessons for Obesity Policy from the Tobacco Wars: Frank J. Chaloupka of University of Illinois at Chicago. 38. Food Taxes and Subsidies: Evidence and Policies for Obesity Prevention: Lisa M. Powell and Jamie F. Chriqui of University of Illinois at Chicago 39. School-Based Interventions: Tamara Brown of Liverpool University. 40. Workplace Obesity Prevention Programs: Ron Z. Goetzel of Emory University, Niranjana Kowlessar of Thomson Reuters, Enid Chung Roemer of Emory University, Xiaofei Pei, of Thomson Reuters, Maryam Tabrizi of Thomson Reuters, Rivka C. Liss-Levinson of Emory University, Daniel Samoly of Emory University and Jessica Waddell of Thomson Reuters. 41. Community Interventions: Christina D. Economos and Sarah A. Sliwa of Tufts University 42. Regulation of Food Advertising: Pauline M. Ippolito of Federal Trade Commission 43. Unintended Consequences of Obesity Prevention Messages: Sahara Byrne and Jeff Niederdeppe of Cornell University 44. Behavioral Treatment of Obesity: LaShanda Jones-Corneille, Rebecca M. Stack and Thomas Wadden of University of Pennsylvania 45. Anti-Obesity Drugs and Bariatric Surgery: William Encinosa of Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Dongyi Tony Du of the Food and Drug Administration, and Didem Bernard of Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality 46. Correlates of Successful Maintenance of Weight Loss: Victoria Catenacci, Paul MacLean, Lorri Ogden, Sarit Polsky, Holly Wyatt, and James Hill of University of Colorado 47. Cost Effectiveness of Anti-Obesity Interventions: Social Science Insights Into Treatment, Prevention, and Policymaking: Larissa Roux of University of British Columbia

Reviews

<br> There are few topics more important to health policy than obesity, and this volume has many of the best thinkers on the topic. It is a major step forward in our understanding of eating, exercise, and weight. --David Cutler, Otto Eckstein Professor of Applied Economics, Harvard University<p><br> During the past three decades, the United States and most of the rest of the developed world have experienced a rapid and sustained rise in the obesity rate. This trend has stimulated an enormous amount of research by social scientists dealing with its causes and consequences and with policies to combat it. This fascinating volume contains detailed, comprehensive, and penetrating summaries of this body of research. It is certain to have a major impact in guiding new studies and in the formulation of new policies in this crucial area. --Michael Grossman, Distinguished Professor of Economics, City University of New York Graduate Center and Health Economics Program Director and Research Associ

Author Information

John Cawley is a professor in the Department of Policy Analysis and Management at Cornell University. His primary field of research is health economics, with a focus on the economic causes of obesity, the economic consequences of obesity, and economic approaches to obesity treatment and prevention. He has served on expert panels and advisory committees regarding obesity for the Institute of Medicine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other government agencies. In addition to his affiliation with Cornell, John is a Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research in the Programs on Health Economics and Health Care, and he is a co-editor of the journal Economics & Human Biology. More information about the editor is available at www.johncawley.com.

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