Childhood Obesity: A Biobehavioral Perspective

This volume highlights recent research findings which elucidate the biological and behavioral underpinnings of childhood obesity. The book is divided into four sections: Perspectives, Determinants, Prevention, and Treatment. Topics include the social and psychological factors that comprise the obese child's world; eating patterns early in life and their influence on adiposity later in development; two types of opoid peptides, their respective receptor sites, and the effects they produce when released; putative relationships between food preferences and obesity; relationships between inactivity and obesity; design and implementation of school-based programs to prevent obesity in school children; medical care to the obese child and family; metabolic factors of dieting; the role of parental and family influences in childhood obesity; and treatment intervention. The book is a must for advanced graduate students and practitioners in medicine and psychology dealing with child health. It is an invaluable reference for clinicians and researchers alike.