Ross Andersen, PhD, is associate director of fellowship training in the division of geriatric medicine at Johns
Hopkins Medical Center. Since 1993, he has been conducting clinical trials examining the long-term effects of diet
and exercise in helping people manage their weight. In addition, he has published several reports that have shaped
current thinking about exercise for overweight individuals.
For 10 years, Dr. Andersen operated community-based weight loss programs in health clubs and he is the author of
a book on how to implement weight loss programs in health club settings. He is a Fellow in the American College
of Sports
Medicine and a member of NAASO. He earned his PhD in exercise physiology at Temple University in 1992. He was a
visiting scholar at the Cooper Institute in 1996.
Review
"This edited book is an outstanding resource for professionals interested in the causes, treatment, and
prevention of obesity. Dr. Andersen assembled an expert team of scientists who provide up-to-date reviews of topics
vital to those who want to understand the complex factors associated with obesity. This book offers a comprehensive
study of important contributors to obesity, from genetic predisposition to environmental influences. Given the
rising prevalence of obesity in the United States and other industrialized nations and the need to address this
growing public health issue, this book comes at an opportune time. There is no other resource available that compiles
such varied obesity-related topics in a coherent and comprehensive manner. I recommend this book to professionals
and trainees alike."
--Deborah Rohm Young, PhD Associate professor Department of kinesiology University of Maryland
"We live in frightening times! As our society becomes more affluent, disease and affliction loom larger in
our lives. In the case of obesity, we have reached epidemic proportions. Dr. Ross Andersen has edited and organized
a masterful compendium concerning this public malady. It is my hope that clinicians and professionals globally
will utilize the expert fact, prescription, and insight contained in this volume to effect positive changes and
behaviors as they pertain to the roots, causes, and preventive measures regarding obesity."
--Ken Germano Executive director American Council on Exercise
"Obesity is an epidemic that demands a book to provide a knowledge base for the academician and a guide for
the health and fitness practitioner. The answer is Obesity: Etiology, Assessment, Treatment, and Prevention. Ross
Andersen, of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, assembled national and international experts for this mission.
Their contributions amount to this state-of-the-art interdisciplinary treatise on obesity and overweight. Whether
you are a clinician seeking practical strategies (e.g., measuring body composition in overweight persons, tailoring
exercise prescription for obese individuals) or a scientist in need of a current review of the literature and insights
on obesity-related topics (e.g., psychosocial aspects of obesity, genetic role of obesity), this book will be an
invaluable resource. Obesity: Etiology, Assessment, Treatment, and Prevention covers it all. My students know that
weight management is usually about calories in versus calories out, but they also know that it can be much more
complicated. Obesity: Etiology, Assessment, Treatment, and Prevention will be especially useful to my senior and
graduate students planning a career in any health-related field."
--Lymperis "Perry" Koziris, PhD, FACSM NSCA-CPT, CSCS, ACSM-HFI, USAW L-1 Coach Assistant professor
Department of kinesiology, health promotion, and recreation University of North Texas
Publisher Web Site, July, 2003
Summary
"Obesity: Etiology, Assessment, Treatment, and Prevention" is a comprehensive and highly focused professional
reference of weight management research and techniques. Featuring some of the world's top specialists in the field
of weight control, it provides the most up-to-date and accurate information available today for treating obesity.
The manual combines a literature review with practical applications, incorporating expert analysis, synthesis and
consensus of obesity treatment and prevention. The book is an important resource for program development and anagement
that will prepare health professionals and clinicians to help patients of all ages manage this complex and pervasive
disease.
The book devotes an entire chapter to treating and preventing obesity in children, and discusses many other relevant
topics, including:
Nutrition therapy
Physical activity
Alternative therapies such as pharmacotherapy
Promising trends in obesity treatment
In addition, graphs, tables and chapter summaries make it easy for busy professionals to quickly find and review
key issues.
As obesity continues to increase at an alarming rate, this reference manual provides practitioners with the latest
insight into integrating physical activity, nutrition, psychology and medicine to help obese patients better manage
their weight.
Table of Contents
Part I: Etiology of Obesity
Chapter 1. Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in the United States
Chapter 2. Psychosocial Correlates and Consequences of Obesity
Chapter 3. Economic Aspects of Obesity: A Managed-Care Perspective
Chapter 4. Genetic Influences on Obesity
Part II: Assessment of the Obese Patient
Chapter 5. Health-Related Quality of Life in Obese Individuals
Chapter 6. Body Composition Assessment in the Obese
Chapter 7. Clinical Evaluation of the Obese Patient
Chapter 8. Dietary Intake: Recording and Analyzing
Chapter 9. Assessment of Physical Activity and Energy Expenditure
Part III: Treatment and Prevention
Chapter 10. The Importance of Body Weight Maintenance in Successful Aging
Chapter 11. Treating and Preventing Pediatric Obesity
Chapter 12. Medical Nutrition Therapy Application
Chapter 13. Physical Activity Treatment
Chapter 14. Physical Activity As a Therapeutic Modality
Chapter 15. Helping Individuals Reduce Sedentary Behavior
Chapter 16. Physical Activity Promotion as a Public Health Strategy for Obesity Prevention
Chapter 17. Medication for Weight Management
Chapter 18. Future Directions in Treating Obesity
