The Complexity of Adolescent Obesity ─ Causes, Correlates, and Consequences

The research contained in this valuable compendium offers a much-needed perspective on one of the most dangerous health crises our world faces today: obesity. Obesity has become an epidemic, a fact frequently discussed in the media, with many references to both childhood and adult obesity. These discussions, however, overlook an important demographic: the adolescent who is obese or overweight. The authors offer critical insights into the forces and factors that result in the numerous metabolic and psychological consequences of adolescent obesity.

The book delves into the prevalence, causes and correlates, and implications and consequences of adolescent obesity, and goes on to present considerations for future action.

The research covers many of the causes of adolescent obesity, including increased consumption of high carbohydrate snacks; eating too much, too fast, and too frequently; eating high-fat, cheap, convenient, and readily assessable foods; increased sedentary activities, such as TV watching and video games, accompanied by decreased physical activity; parents’ and schools’ lack of nutrition vigilance; and the commercial incentives to sell calorie-dense foods aggressively and relentlessly.

Edited by an eminent doctor and professor, The Complexity of Adolescent Obesity is an easily accessible and well-organized volume that offers vital research context for policymakers, educators, medical providers, and families.

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.