During the past twenty years there has been a dramatic increase in obesity in the United States. An estimated thirty percent of adults in the US are obese; in 1980, only fifteen percent were. The issue is gaining greater attention with the CDC and with the public health world in general. This book will offer practical information about the methodology of epidemiologic studies of obesity, suitable for graduate students and researchers in epidemiology, and public health practitioners with an interest in the issue.
The book will be structured in four main sections, with the majority of chapters authored by Dr. Hu, and some authored by specialists in specific areas. The first section will consider issues surrounding the definition of obesity, measurement techniques, and the designs of epidemiologic studies. The second section will address the consequences of obesity, looking at epidemiologic studies that focus on cardio-vascular disease, diabetes, and cancer The third section will look at determinants obesity, reviewing a wide range of risk factors for obesity including diet, physical activity and sedentary behaviors, sleep disorders, psychosocial factors, physical environment, biochemical and genetic predictors, and intrauterine exposures. In the final section, the author will discuss the analytical issues and challenges for epidemiologic studies of obesity.

Why has breastfeeding re-asserted itself over the last twenty years, and why are the government, the scientific and medical communities, and so many mothers so invested in the idea? In Is Breast Best? Joan B. Wolf challenges the widespread belief that breastfeeding is medically superior to bottle-feeding. Despite the fact that breastfeeding has become the ultimate expression of maternal dedication, Wolf writes, the conviction that breastfeeding provides babies unique health benefits and that formula feeding is a risky substitute is unsubstantiated by the evidence. In accessible prose, Wolf argues that a public obsession with health and what she calls "total motherhood" has made breastfeeding a cause celebre, and that public discussions of breastfeeding say more about infatuation with personal responsibility and perfect mothering in America than they do about the concrete benefits of the breast. Parsing the rhetoric of expert advice, including the recent National Breastfeeding Awareness Campaign, and rigorously questioning the scientific evidence, Is Breast Best? uncovers a path by which a mother can feel informed and confident about how best to feed her thriving infant-whether flourishing by breast or by bottle.

This book investigates the most effective behavior change communication (BCC) strategies to reach socio-economically vulnerable mothers to promote early initiation of breastfeeding after birth in rural Niger. It thereby goes beyond conventional research frameworks by looking into multifaceted indicators including socio-economic and demographic status of mothers, environmental health, family and community based social network and typology of field activities. The book analyses demographic indicators by using field based pragmatic perspectives to scrutinise what the numbers tell in the local context. It also analyses a unique dataset of non-health related indicators such as income poverty to measure socio-economic vulnerability of mothers, involvement of and interactions with other family and community actors in child healthcare in addition to conventional socio-economic, demographic and health seeking behavioural indicators. The book draws policy and strategy recommendations based on the thorough analysis of each risk and protective factor for breastfeeding after birth to redirect technical and financial investment towards its most effective use for the optimal coverage of populations deprived from access to basic health and social services. As such this book is a very valuable read to researchers, public health and nutrition experts and decision makers in child health.

This book explores the reality of ageing and old age from the perspectives of the individual and society. It emphasizes cross-cultural aspects of ageing and communication issues both within and across generations. The authors approach the understanding of ageing from a multi-disciplinary perspective, integrating biology, psychology, linguistics, sociology, and history. The book is organized as follows: historical and broader cross-cultural issues of ageing, followed by biomedical, psychological, social, and communicative aspects of ageing. The book concludes with an in-depth analysis of the existential dimension of ageing followed by an evolutionary perspective.

This bookm the first history of contraception for almost fifty years, provides a scholarly and highly readable account of procreation and attempts to prevent it from ancient Greece to the late twentieth century. The story, as the author shows, is not one of unalleviated progress, and anything but a simple passage from ignorance to enlightenment. Marshalling evidence from demography, medicine, literature, religious, family and women's history, he shows both that the idea of limiting progeny is ever-present in humna history and that mnay contraceptive practices have endured for at least two and a half millennia. In cosidering questions of both motivation and method, Angus McLaren reveals the intimate interactions between reproductive decision-making on the one hand and social, economic, political and gender relationaships on the other.

Nutraceutical and Functional Food Components: Effects of Innovative Processing Techniques presents the latest information on the chemistry, biochemistry, toxicology, health effects, and nutrition characteristics of food components and the recent trends and practices that the food industry (e.g. the implementation of non-thermal technologies, nanoencapsulation, new extraction techniques, and new sources, like by-products, etc.) has adopted. This book fills the gap in knowledge by denoting the impact of recent food industry advances in different parameters of food components (e.g. nutritional value, physical and chemical properties, bioavailability and bioaccessibility characteristics) and final products (e.g. applications, shelf-life, sensory characteristics).

This book presents an up-to-date review of behavioral factors in diabetes management across the lifespan: an update on medical management, epidemiology, and prognosis, and utilize an ecological framework to address various aspects of diabetes management for children and adults on the individual, social, community and medical system, and policy levels. The individual level examines biobehavioral and neuroendocrine factors for their role in the etiology of diabetes, as well as various demographic factors involved in health disparities, and specific psychological issues including distress and quality of life, depression and anxiety, eating disorders, and intervention approaches. Zooming out, the social level addresses the role of social support and family influences as well as group and family interventions to promote more effective diabetes management. The community level addresses medical system factors including the patient-physician relationship and transition programs, as well as community and school-based prevention programs. Finally, chapters also address how the policy level impacts diabetes management considering the role of health care, insurance, and school and workplace policy. Topics featured in this book include: Neuroendocrine and biobehavioral influences on diabetes Eating disorders in individuals with diabetes Family influences and family therapies for children and adults with diabetes Depression and anxiety in children and adults with diabetes Behavioral Diabetes is a must-have resource for researchers, graduate students and fellows, as well as clinicians, therapists, and other practitioners involved in diabetes management across the lifespan. A secondary audience comprises individuals working in the community and policy levels, including but not limited to health care and medical systems administrators, as well as school and workplace policymakers. "This book is a comprehensive overview of the extremely important topic of behavioral diabetes. The issues encompassed in this book have evolved greatly over the last few decades and the editors have done a spectacular job in having the key experts on each of the many topics review the literature while at the same time keeping it practical for both clinicians and researchers." --Irl B. Hirsch, MD, University of Washington, Seattle

Does a kindly, charitable interest in others have health benefits for the agent, particularly when coupled with helping behaviours? Although the answer remains unclear, researchers have established that there is an association between generous emotions, helping behaviour, and longevity. Increasingly, emotional states and their related behaviours are being studied by mainstream scientists in relation to health promotion and disease prevention. If helping affect or behaviour can be linked with health and longevity, there are significant implications for how we think about human nature and prosperity. Although studies show that those who are physically or psychologically overwhelmed by the needs of others do experience a stressful burden that can have significant negative health consequences, little attention has been given to whether there are health benefits from helping behaviour that is fulfilling, not overwhelming. In this book, Stephen Post brings together distinguished researchers from basic science to address this question in objective terms. The book provides heuristic models, from evolution and neuroscience, to explain the association between altruism and health, and examines potential public health and practical implications of the existing data.

Who will want me now? It's a heart-wrenching question for teenagers infected with HIV. The number of HIV/AIDS-infected teenagers in the United States is increasing. Nearly 35,000 U.S. teenagers now have AIDS. Far more have been diagnosed with HIV, and an undetermined number have the virus and do not yet know. Each year, some 1,700 young people aged 13 to 24 are diagnosed with the ravaging end result of this infection: AIDS. In this volume, experts who work with HIV/AIDS-infected teenagers examine the psychological and social fallout compounding the frightening medical issues faced by adolescents who've received the diagnosis. Readers share the challenge with teens as they face the stigma of HIV/AIDS and the tough decisions about who to tell of their infection and when to do it. We learn the hard truth about health care, self care, and new treatment options for affected teens. And we read about the heartbreaking end-of-life care issues for dying adolescents. Perhaps most important, the authors offer resources teens and their families can turn to for information and support. And they explain what family, friends, teachers, and other professionals can do to help infected teens maximize their mental health and their quality of life.

What is critical health psychology? How is it changing the way we think about topics like ageing, the community and gender? What can it tell us about our understanding of health and illness? The second edition of this highly regarded text has been thoroughly updated to take account of the changes in the field over the last decade. It includes new chapters on ageing and health, critical disability studies and critical anthropology, and it features contributions from world leading researchers. Examining the debates and disputes that lie at the heart of health psychology, this new edition offers a refreshing critical perspective. It is invaluable reading for students of health psychology, critical psychology and community psychology.

This book brings together various threads of research in the field of gender mainstreaming. It aids in further supporting and understanding the role of gender in health and safety research, practice, and policy. It looks at gender mainstreaming as being recognised as key in cultivating sustainable worker health and working systems due to it being a central component of many international policy initiatives. This book deals with gender mainstreaming being advocated at a policy level, while focusing on the limited recognition and discourse on the issue of gender and its direct and indirect association to workers' health in the field of occupational health and safety. This book addresses problems facing gender-sensitive policies and outlines and reflects upon current best practice principles and practices to support the development and implementation of policies, interventions, and research initiatives.

This ambitious book provides the latest research in leading topics of behavioral medicine and evidence-based strategies for its application in solving clinical problems. Each of the book's clinical chapters, covering a breadth of topics from doctor-patient communication to patient adherence, preparation for surgery and cancer, begins with a clinical case study that guides the reader through the chapter. The author expertly takes the reader through relevant background information, including the epidemiology and medical background of the disease, the psychological predictors of onset or prognosis in the condition, and relevant psychological interventions. The chapters conclude by revisiting the case study with an evidence-based solution that applies the topics discussed to better treat the patient's body and mind. Included among the topics: Models of stress and methodological considerations in behavioral medicine Doctor-patient communication and increasing patient adherence Psychosocial factors in coronary heart disease Psychosocial factors and the prognosis of cancer Psychological aspects of health and illness in the elderly Emergency mental health after traumatic events This depth of clinical guidance and exploration of biobehavioral mechanisms makes Behavioral Medicine: An Evidence-Based Biobehavioral Approach an essential resource for practitioners and practitioners-in-training, including medical students, health psychologists and other professionals in health promotion, disease prevention, psychotherapy and counseling, and primary care medicine.