Childhood Obesity: Prevention and Treatment

by Jana Parizkova and Andrew Hills, 2000, 422 pages, hardcover, $89.95. CRC Press, Boca Ratan, FL.

Institute for Prevention Research Department of Preventive Medicine University of Southern California 1540 Alcazar Street Room 208-D Los Angeles, CA 90033 E-mail: goran{at}usc.edu

This is one of the first full-text treatments of childhood obesity and is written by 2 well-respected investigators in this research area. Although there are several existing textbooks on obesity in general, this is the first to focus exclusively on pediatric issues. The authors take a global perspective of an important topic and make a convincing case for the fact that obesity, inactivity, and poor dietary practices are not purely an American problem but an emerging global issue. The book covers the essentials and the methodologic controversies of obesity, nutrition, and exercise science and would be useful for researchers and students alike. The trio of disciplines covered in the book certainly belong together, and the juxtapositions and interrelations are well crafted.

The literature is exhaustively reviewed, including an excellent epidemiologic overview and discussion of recent studies. However, there is clear bias toward European literature; in many cases, recent studies from the United States are not discussed. In addition, the writing style is sometimes difficult to follow, and the text includes many unclear references to other parts of the book. In the end, the book serves as a summary of most of the key studies, with limited explanation of critical background material. When new terms are introduced, the adjoining text offers limited definition or explanation. Because explanations of almost all the terminology are forthcoming, albeit sometimes chapters ahead, the inclusion of a reference to those explanations would have been useful.

Although the authors are to be applauded for tackling such a broad topic in one book, the content suffers because the discussion of some of the key interdisciplinary aspects lacks detail. We would have liked to see a broader discussion of energy regulation, methodology, biobehavioral aspects, molecular aspects, ethnic and cultural diversity in risk and predisposition, and disease links, especially the emerging problem of pediatric type 2 diabetes. Overall, this is an important and timely contribution to the rapidly growing field of childhood obesity research, but the read would be improved if there were more bullets, boxes, and summaries to guide the reader through the material and a broader discussion of the literature.