ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on obesity: its prevalence and consequences of remaining rather than avoiding obesity. It also focuses on medically significant obesity. The relationship between eating disorders and obesity is complex. In general, eating disorders develop in the context of avoiding obesity. Epidemiologists examine the demographic distribution and environmental/genetic causes of obesity, providing both information on the natural history of obesity and data relevant to preventive medicine. The different methods of estimating body fat and different standards for obesity have resulted in a quagmire of conflicting literature on measuring and defining obesity. The studies describing prevalence of obesity are valid only as long as the political climate and weather remain stable. The prevalence of obesity is usually greater among women than men. Most reviews consider obesity to be an important factor predisposing to some cancers, cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, osteoarthritis, and gallbladder disease.
