Essay on Obesity: Bibliographic Review

The study of obesity is a relatively new interdisciplinary academic field. The community college library shelves should contain two types of resources. First, several kinds of reference materials, and second, a host of broader materials that place the discussion of obesity within a cultural framework. This overview is divided into two major sections, the first is reference materials, and the second is a list of useful and current monographs that discuss the societal implications of obesity.

Keywords obesity, eating disorders, public health

The study of obesity is a relatively new academic field and is dramatically interdisciplinary in nature. Therefore resources about obesity are scattered throughout the library: they will include the medical texts that explore the biology of obesity, obesity as a pathology, or as a cause of pathology. Related to the field of medicine, but not identical to it, are materials that address obesity as a public health issue, examining why some ethnicities and social classes are more prone to obesity than others. There are also approaches to obesity from the vantage point of the food sciences and nutrition studies, very much involved with the chemistry of foods. The social sciences also have an interest in the field: whether as a psychological issue or sociology, thus there are specialists in eating disorders from several vantage points. Some of the sociological perspectives address the stigma and the politics of obesity. We also find that obesity is addressed by the humanities: we have many studies these days on the cultural practices that create obesity, but one is just as likely to find such a study looking at the history of obesity. There are legal examinations of the issue: remember the recent and landmark case in which a child was removed from his parent's home because they could not bring his weight under control or questions of fast food vendors’ legal liability for the health effects of their products on consumers. For purposes of the community or junior college, a collection needn’t provide the specialist materials within all these disciplines. But it should provide two elements, the first being several kinds of reference materials, whether for the general studies student learning basics in order to enhance an overall knowledge base, or for the student who intends to pursue one of the disciplines that lie within obesity studies. The second element that a community college library should possess is a host of broader materials that place the discussion of obesity within a larger cultural framework. This overview is divided into two major sections, the first is reference materials, and the second is a list of useful and current monographs that discuss the wider implications of obesity.

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Reference materials

Encyclopedias Obesity has graduated to a degree of importance that it has its own reference materials, including encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, and sourcebooks. These materials are obvious candidates for Community College collections to address this very topical subject. Among the encyclopedias, the Encyclopedia of Obesity and Eating Disorders is a short volume, coming in just under 360 odd pages, and part of the Facts on File series. In this series, texts are written jointly by a professional writer and an expert. In this case, the expert is David H. Gleaves, a psychologist specializing in eating disorders. A brief history of eating disorders and obesity opens the encyclopedia, immediately followed by the meat of the work, a set of relatively short alphabetically ordered entries that encompass related issues that may have to do with nutrition, metabolism, or body image. The entries, many only a paragraph long, are primarily definitional. Written with an eye for the popular audience, this is good for lower-level undergrads whether interested in beginning a specialization or just looking for information for an English term paper. Another very useful encyclopedia, though pitched for an audience that includes both beginners and those who may have already begun to specialize in discipline specific aspects of obesity, is the Encyclopedia of Obesity. Edited by Kathleen Keller of Columbia University, this two-volume work includes a good index and lists the articles in a table of contents. While the authors of some five hundred articles are generally academics, the writing is accessible for novices though it is colloquial (i.e., not belly fat, but body fat distribution), thus providing a good model for academic language. Among contributors are professionals from various fields, including healthcare providers, academics, and others in the healthcare industry, inspiring confidence that the multiplicity of disciplinary perspectives is not distorted by non-specialists. While one might have wished for more recommendations for additional resources, this is a fine general introduction to the multiple issues involved in obesity studies.

Handbooks and Sourcebooks In addition to the encyclopedias on obesity, there are also available many “handbooks” and “source books” on the subject that can be included in the stacks for student perusal at home. Unlike encyclopedias, with their alphabetically listed entries, these sources are arranged by topic. Four titles within this category, any of which would be useful, include Obesity: A Reference Handbook by Judith Stern. This relatively slim volume, just a bit over 300 pages, is part of the ABC-CLIO’s “Contemporary World Issues” series. This thematically (rather than alphabetically) organized reference title written by nutrition researchers at UC Davis provides an overview of major topics within obesity studies, including history, treatments, the controversy surrounding the notion of obesity as a “disease” as well as testimony from key figures in the debate, including biographical sketches of those who have struggled with weight, both among regular folks and the famous as well as organizations. This is a volume that will serve the undergraduate populations at community colleges admirably in part because it highlights the debates within the field.

The other handbooks that are useful are a bit more specialized in focus and more substantial. The nearly nine hundred pages of the Oxford Handbook of the Social Science of Obesity, edited and introduced by John Crawley, co-director of Cornell’s Institute on Health Economics, Health Behaviors and Disparities, and co-Editor-in-Chief of the journal Economics and Human Biology, is an anthology of articles written by experts in the many fields that make up obesity studies within the social sciences. It is broken down into five parts including disciplinary perspectives; data and methods; causes and correlates of diet physical activity and obesity; the consequences of obesity; and finally, social sciences insights into prevention, treatment, and policy. This provides materials that can serve both the advanced and ambitious lower-level students. While the material in the next two books addresses some issues that may be concerned with the social sciences, the Handbook of Eating Disorders and Obesity: A Comprehensive Handbook, edited by Christopher G. Fairburn and Kelly D. Brownell, seeks to “strengthen connections between eating disorders and obesity fields” (Fairburn and Kelly 2002, xiii). The single volume of roughly 650 pages is comprised of 112 short articles, divided into three parts. The first part is titled “Foundations,” while the second and third are “Eating Disorders” and “Obesity” respectively. Each of the book’s articles is approximately four pages in length with very clear headings and an additional page of further resources. They provide a very accessible and limited introduction to major areas of interest for young researchers. The additional resources are also a useful tool. The title does not include a list of contributors and their credentials which is unfortunate. An alternative title, Handbook of EatingDisordersandObesity edited by J. Kevin Thompson, with about 800 pages, covers much of the same territory, though it spends less time on biology fundamentals and does less with issues of epidemiology.

The difference between the volumes lies more particularly in the distinct differences in the length and format and appeal of their articles. The articles in the Thompson collection are full-length articles such as those that would appear in a juried journal. They require more sustained attention than those in the Fairburn and Brownell volume, which provides a ready-reference overview of the issue. Each can serve lower-level students well, but the Thompson volume would provide material for more advanced students and researchers as well. Indeed, we could see Thompson’s as more of a sourcebook or compilation of core materials. One true sourcebook that is consumer oriented has been made available through the Health Reference Series edited by Wilma Caldwell and Chad T. Kimball: Obesity Sourcebook. This work is a compilation from general reading sources including newspapers, some journals, and even Websites. They are rarely written by experts but do provide credible information in a writing style for the layperson. This sourcebook does not cover areas of interest to the specialist, but areas of concern to a more general audience, providing five sections: one on general information, another about diseases linked to obesity, and a third on managing obesity from the patient’s rather than the health provider’s perspective that includes information on risks to health from unwise practices. The fourth section of the book addresses obesity prevention in special populations. The final section of the book provides additional references and an organization resource list. This is completely appropriate material for the general information needed by lower-level undergraduates. Another sourcebook of a very different flavor and for a very different audience, but still useful for undergraduates, is the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s publication: A Nation at Risk: Obesity in the United States: A Statistical Sourcebook. This work is a short pamphlet of about thirty pages but includes very useful basic statistical information from a reliable source. This is available in print or online.