The Oxford Handbook of the Social Science of Obesity

by Cawley, John

• ISBN13: 9780199736362
• ISBN10: 0199736367
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-10-13
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

There is an urgent need to better understand the causes and consequences of obesity, and to learn what works to prevent or reduce obesity. The purpose of this volume is to accurately and conveniently summarize the findings and insights of obesity-related research from the full range of social sciences, including anthropology, economics, government, psychology, and sociology. 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 strains of obesity research in that discipline. The second section provides important 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. This volume is designed to meet the growing need of researchers for accurate and well-written summaries of the large amount of recent studies on this topic. This handbook will be of great use for researchers in every social science discipline, 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. It is a volume that every obesity researcher will want to have on his or her shelf. These research summaries are valuable for researchers, public health officials, policymakers, nutritionists, and medical practitioners.

Author Biography

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.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Contributors	p. xi
Introduction	p. 1
Disciplinary Perspectives on Obesity
The Epidemiology of Obesity	p. 9
The Demography of Obesity	p. 35
The Cliometrics of BMI and Obesity	p. 48
The Anthropology of Obesity	p. 60
The Psychology of Obesity	p. 87
The Sociology of Obesity	p. 105
The Economics of Obesity	p. 120
Behavioral Economics and Obesity	p. 138
Obesity Politics and Policy	p. 158
Fat Studies	p. 173
Data and Methods
Publicly Available Data Useful for Social Science Research on Obesity	p. 187
The Complex Systems Science of Obesity	p. 208
Challenges for Causal Inference in Obesity Research	p. 237
The Causes and Correlates of Diet, Physical Activity, and Obesity
Race, Ethnicity and Obesity	p. 257
Socioeconomic Status and Obesity	p. 276
The Nutrition Transition and Obesity	p. 286
Peer Effects and Obesity	p. 303
Maternal Employment	p. 313
Depression and Obesity	p. 329
Food Marketing, Television, and Video Games	p. 350
Portion Size and the Obesity Epidemic	p. 367
Mindless Eating: Environmental Contributors to Obesity	p. 385
Food Assistance and Obesity	p. 415
Physical Activity and the Built Environment	p. 433
Food Deserts	p. 452
Food Prices, Income and Body Weight	p. 463
Agricultural Policy and Childhood Obesity	p. 480
The Consequences of Obesity
Obesity and Medical Costs	p. 495
Obesity and Mortality	p. 502
Schooling and Human Capital	p. 517
Labor Market Consequences: Employment, Wages, Disability, and Absenteeism	p. 531
Bias, Stigma, and Discrimination	p. 533
Medical and Social Scientific Debates over Body Weight	p. 572
Social Science Insights into Prevention, Treatment, and Policy
The Imperative of Changing Public Policy To Address Obesity	p. 587
Economic Perspectives on Obesity Policy	p. 609
Lessons for Obesity Policy from the Tobacco Wars	p. 620
Food Taxes and Subsidies: Evidence and Policies for Obesity Prevention	p. 639
School-Based Interventions	p. 665
Workplace Obesity Prevention Programs	p. 683
Community Interventions	p. 713
Regulation of Food Advertising	p. 741
Unintended Consequences of Obesity Prevention Messages	p. 752
Behavioral Treatment of Obesity	p. 771
Anti-Obesity Drugs and Bariatric Surgery	p. 792
Correlates of Successful Maintenance of Weight Loss	p. 808
Cost-Effectiveness of Anti-Obesity Interventions	p. 832
Cited Author Index	p. 848
Subject Index
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