In the crowded and busy arena of obesity and fat studies, there is a lack of attention to the lived experiences of people, how and why they eat what they do, and how people in cross-cultural settings understand risk, health, and bodies. This volume addresses the lacuna by drawing on ethnographic methods and analytical emic explorations in order to consider the impact of cultural difference, embodiment, and local knowledge on understanding obesity. It is through this reconstruction of how obesity and fatness are studied and understood that a new discussion will be introduced and a new set of analytical explorations about obesity research and the effectiveness of obesity interventions will be established.
This book equips readers with the knowledge required to improve diagnosis and treatment and to implement integrated prevention programs in patients with eating and weight disorders. It does so by providing a comprehensive, up-to-date review of research findings and theoretical assumptions concerning the interface and interactions between body image and such disorders as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, other specified feeding and eating disorders, orthorexia nervosa, overweight, and obesity. After consideration of issues of definition and classification, the opening part of the book examines the concept of body image from a variety of viewpoints. A series of chapters are then devoted to the assessment of the multidimensional construct “body image”, to dysmorphophobia/body dysmorphic disorder, and to muscle dysmorphia. The third part discusses body image in people suffering from different eating disorders and/or overweight or obesity, and two final chapters focus on body image in the integrated prevention of eating disorders and obesity, and cultural differences regarding body image. The book will be of interest to all health professionals who work in the fields of psychiatry, clinical psychology, eating disorders, obesity, body image, adolescence, public health, and prevention.
Black women are at high risk for obesity and obesity-related health problems such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Genetic predisposition and socioeconomic theories do not provide adequate explanation for why Black women are at high risk for obesity. Researchers have hypothesized that Black women's greater acceptance of a wider range of body sizes as attractive may make them less motivated to engage in weight-control. Few studies have addressed the relationship between body image and healthy eating and exercise behaviors among Black women. This is the first study known to examine these variables by using measures designed and validated among a sample of Black women. Eighty-seven Black women were recruited to participate in our survey. Hierarchical multiple and logistic regression analyses were used to determine whether body image variables predicted eating and exercise behaviors among Black women. Results suggest that obese women with greater body satisfaction were more likely to eat low fat foods and engage in regular exercise than obese women with less body satisfaction. Body image was not a predictor of healthy eating and exercise behaviors among nonobese Black women. These results challenge previous hypotheses that Black women's more positive body images place them at greater risk for obesity. Instead, this study suggests that positive body images are associated with healthy eating and exercise behaviors that reduce the risk for obesity and obesity-related diseases among Black women.
Examines the relationship between body image disturbances and eating disorders in our most vulnerable population: children and adolescents. The editors present a dynamic approach that combines current research, assessment techniques, and suggestions for treatment and prevention. This volume delivers direction for researchers in the field as well as guidance for practitioners and clinicians working with young clients suffering from these disorders.
The primary purpose of fitness and body composition standards in the U.S. Armed Forces has always been to select individuals best suited to the physical demands of military service, based on the assumption that proper body weight and composition supports good health, physical fitness, and appropriate military appearance. The current epidemic of overweight and obesity in the United States affects the military services. The pool of available recruits is reduced because of failure to meet body composition standards for entry into the services and a high percentage of individuals exceeding military weight-for-height standards at the time of entry into the service leave the military before completing their term of enlistment. To aid in developing strategies for prevention and remediation of overweight in military personnel, the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command requested the Committee on Military Nutrition Research to review the scientific evidence for: factors that influence body weight, optimal components of a weight loss and weight maintenance program, and the role of gender, age, and ethnicity in weight management.
Fully revised to reflect the DSM-5, the second edition of The Oxford Handbook of Eating Disorders features the latest research findings, applications, and approaches to understanding eating disorders. Including foundational topics alongside practical specifics, like literature reviews and clinical applications, this handbook is essential for scientists, clinicians, and students alike.
Discrimination based on body shape and size remains commonplace in today's society. This important volume explores the nature, causes, and consequences of weight bias and presents a range of approaches to combat it. Leading psychologists, health professionals, attorneys, and advocates cover such critical topics as the barriers facing obese adults and children in health care, work, and school settings; how to conceptualize and measure weight-related stigmatization; theories on how stigma develops; the impact on self-esteem and health, quite apart from the physiological effects of obesity; and strategies for reducing prejudice and bringing about systemic change.
In this special issue, top researchers from a diversity of disciplines provide an overview of and insights into the major social, cultural, and structural variables that play a role in Black women's poor health, and differential morbidity and mortality. The articles focus on the major threats to Black women's health such as diabetes, obesity, cancer, violence, and AIDS, and utilize a wide range of qualitative and quantitative methods from medicine, psychology, sociology, and feminist analysis. Among the articles are: * An examination of the role of Black women's cultural and ethnomedical beliefs in their use of cancer screening by Laurie Hoffman-Goetz and Sherry Mills of the National Cancer Institute; * An empirical analysis of Black women's utilization of health services entailing more than 18,000 women by Lonnie Snowden and his colleagues at the University of California-Berkeley Center for Mental Health Services Research; * A comprehensive review and empirical analysis of the role of violence in Black women's health by Nancy Felipe Russo (Arizona State University), Mary Koss (University of Arizona), and Gwen Keita (APA Office on Women); * An empirical investigation of the role of social and contextual variables in HIV risk among low-income Black women by Kathleen Sikkema, Timothy Heckman, and Jeffrey Kelly of the Center for AIDS Intervention Research, Medical College of Wisconsin. Other articles include comprehensive and critical analyses and reviews of diabetes, breast cancer risk perceptions, and obesity among Black women, as well as analyses of Black women's exclusion from research in medicine, women's health, health psychology, and behavioral medicine. The first issue of any psychology journal to be devoted to the health of Black women, this special issue is a step in the direction of redressing the long-overdue neglect of Black women's health. It provides a cogent overview of the state of Black women's health, numerous empirical investigations, and clear suggestions for future research.