Table Of ContentSpringer Series on Epidemiology and Public Health
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Iris Pigeot
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Prevalence and Etiology
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Springer Series on Epidemiology and Public Health
Series Editors: Wolfgang Ahrens, Iris Pigeot
For other titles published in this series, go to
www.springer.com/series/7251
Luis A. Moreno Iris Pigeot Wolfgang Ahrens
• •
Editors
Epidemiology of Obesity
in Children and Adolescents
Prevalence and Etiology
Editors
Luis A. Moreno Wolfgang Ahrens
GENUD (Growth, Exercise, Nutrition Bremen Institute for
and Development) Research Group Prevention Research and Social Medicine (BIPS)
E.U. Ciencias de la Salud University Bremen
Universidad de Zaragoza Achterstrasse 30
Zaragoza 28359, Bremen
Spain Germany
[email protected] [email protected]
Iris Pigeot
Bremen Institute for Prevention Research
and Social Medicine (BIPS)
University Bremen
Achterstrasse 30
28359, Bremen
Germany
[email protected]
ISBN 978-1-4419-6038-2 e-ISBN 978-1-4419-6039-9
DOI 10.1007/978-1-4419-6039-9
Springer New York Dordrecht Heidelberg London
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Preface
The societal and scientific concerns related to the worldwide obesity epidemic have grown continu-
ously. Scientists and actors in the field of public health not only aim at assessing the size of the
problem but also they strive to better understand its causes. Epidemiology of Obesity in Children
and Adolescents addresses both aspects from an epidemiological perspective while acknowledging
that any approach to tackling obesity at a young age by primary prevention is most promising when
based on a complete knowledge of its causes and characteristics, as well as a thorough understand-
ing of mechanisms leading to this epidemic.
Part I of this book provides a comprehensive worldwide description of obesity in children and
adolescents and the time trends surrounding this situation. It will also describe the known determi-
nants of this condition in various areas of the world. This ecological perspective will give an up-to-
date overview of the magnitude of the problem. It will also provide clues towards understanding the
association between major lifestyle, social, and economic changes and the geographic/temporal
variations of the prevalence of obesity.
As obesity has a multifactor origin, Part II of this book will address the contribution of the known
and suspected risk factors involved in weight gain and the etiology of obesity. Each chapter in Part
II addresses a specific causal pathway and provides a comprehensive overview of the current knowl-
edge. The epidemiological perspective of this book is broadened by the inclusion of chapters that
describe basic biological mechanisms.
Thus, Epidemiology of Obesity in Children and Adolescents serves two purposes. First, it gives a
global overview of the obesity epidemic and second, it provides an in-depth insight into its causes and
mechanisms: the understanding of which may help to develop more effective prevention measures.
With these goals in mind, we invited key experts and leaders in the corresponding fields to
explain and summarize the current knowledge. We had the opportunity to work together with many
of these experts in the framework of two large-scale epidemiological studies investigating the etiol-
ogy of obesity and the development and evaluation of interventions, namely the IDEFICS study
addressing children and the HELENA study addressing adolescents. Both projects were supported
within the 6th EU Framework Programme. We would like to acknowledge the outstanding expertise
of all contributors and their effort in providing the best available knowledge.
We hope that this book will be useful for a broader readership of professionals dealing with child-
hood obesity, such as: public health specialists, epidemiologists, pediatricians, nurses, dieticians, psy-
chologists, health educators, health services experts, other health professionals, and policy makers.
Son Antem, Mallorca, March 4th 2009 Luis A. Moreno
Iris Pigeot
Wolfgang Ahrens
v
Contents
1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 1
Iris Pigeot, Luis A. Moreno, and Wolfgang Ahrens
2 Ethics and Public Policy .................................................................................................. 7
Dita Wickins-Drazilova and Garrath Williams
3 Methodological Aspects for Childhood and Adolescence
Obesity Epidemiology ...................................................................................................... 21
Gerardo Rodríguez, Angelo Pietrobelli, Youfa Wang, and Luis A. Moreno
Part I Descriptive Epidemiology
4 Childhood Obesity in the WHO European Region ....................................................... 43
Yannis Manios and Vassiliki Costarelli
5 The Epidemiology of Childhood Obesity in
Canada, Mexico and the United States .......................................................................... 69
Cynthia L. Ogden, Sarah Connor Gorber, Juan A. Rivera Dommarco,
Margaret Carroll, Margot Shields, and Katherine Flegal
6 Epidemiology of Obesity in Children in South America .............................................. 95
Cecilia Albala and Camila Corvalan
7 Epidemiology of Obesity in Children and Adolescents
in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Region ........................................................ 111
Kylie Hesketh, Karen Campbell, and Rachael Taylor
8 Prevalence and Etiology: Middle East
and North Africa (MENA) Countries ............................................................................ 127
Hafez Elzein and Sima Hamadeh
9 Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in Japan .......................................................... 153
Masao Yoshinaga, Tomoko Ichiki, and Yoshiya Ito
vii
viii Contents
10 Social Epidemiology of Nutritional Burden Among
Children and Adolescents in India ................................................................................. 163
Jessica M. Perkins and S.V. Subramanian
11 Epidemiology of Obesity in Children and Adolescents in China ................................ 183
Youfa Wang, Jie Mi, Yexuan Tao, and Ping Chen
12 Epidemiology and Clinical Profile of Obesity in Children
and Adolescents: South-East Asia and Singapore ........................................................ 195
Ting Fei Ho
13 Childhood Obesity: Prevalence Worldwide - Synthesis Part I .................................... 219
Wolfgang Ahrens, Luis A. Moreno, and Iris Pigeot
Part II Etiological Factors
14 Genetic Factors ................................................................................................................. 239
Paola Russo, Fabio Lauria, and Alfonso Siani
15 Genetics and Nutrigenomics of Obesity ......................................................................... 253
Andreu Palou, M. Luisa Bonet, Francisca Serra, and Catalina Picó
16 Neuroendocrine Regulation ............................................................................................ 291
Vicente Barrios, Gabriel Ángel Martos-Moreno, Laura M. Frago,
Julie A. Chowen, and Jesús Argente
17 Perinatal and Infant Determinants of Obesity ............................................................. 311
Debbie A. Lawlor, George Davey Smith, and Richard Martin
18 Food Patterns and Nutrient Intake in Relation to
Childhood Obesity ........................................................................................................... 329
Gerardo Rodríguez, Agneta Sjöberg, Lauren Lissner, and Luis A. Moreno
19 Physical Activity, Fitness and Fatness in
Children and Adolescents ................................................................................................ 347
David Jiménez-Pavón, Jonatan R. Ruiz, Francisco B. Ortega,
Enrique G. Artero, Vanesa España-Romero, José Castro-Piñero,
Ángel Gutiérrez, and Manuel J. Castillo
20 Sedentary Behaviors and Obesity in Children and Adolescents ................................. 367
J.P. Rey-López, G. Vicente-Rodríguez, G. Bueno, and L.A. Moreno
21 Socio-Economic Status and Obesity in Childhood ........................................................ 377
Fiona Johnson, Michelle Pratt, and Jane Wardle
22 Environmental Factors: Opportunities and Barriers
for Physical Activity, and Healthy Eating ...................................................................... 391
Inge Huybrechts, Ilse De Bourdeaudhuij, and Stefaan De Henauw
Contents ix
23 Psychosocial Aspects of Childhood Obesity .................................................................. 419
Amy E. Sgrenci and Myles S. Faith
24 Consumer Behavior in Childhood Obesity Research and Policy ................................ 431
Lucia A. Reisch, Wencke Gwozdz, and Suzanne Beckmann
25 Eating Behavior and Weight in Children....................................................................... 455
Clare Llewellyn, Susan Carnell, and Jane Wardle
26 Childhood Obesity: Etiology - Synthesis Part II ........................................................... 483
Luis A. Moreno, Iris Pigeot, and Wolfgang Ahrens
Index .......................................................................................................................................... 493
