"The United States has seen a dramatic increase in obesity over the
last 20 years. This work, edited by Keller (human nutrition,
Columbia Univ. Coll. of Physicians & Surgeons; research associate,
New York Obesity Research Ctr.), seeks to be a starting point for
those interested in learning about all aspects of obesity. There
are approximately 500 entries, some with black-and-white photos.
The scope is global: continents are listed as entries by
geographical region, e.g., Asia is broken down into "Asia,
Central," "Asia, East," etc. These entries contain brief historical
overviews of obesity in various countries, obesity studies, and/or
obesity prevention strategies. The appendix in Volume 2 has a
section addressing the prevalence (according to the World Health
Organization) of obesity in males and females by country. In
addition to a glossary and an index at the back of both volumes,
the encyclopedia also features a reader′s guide-in the front of
Volume 1-that assists readers in finding articles by category or
theme (e.g., ethnicity/race, children, social influences and
outcomes, new research frontiers). Volume 1 also contains an
explanation of the body mass index (BMI) and the BMI table.
Although there are bibliographies at the end of entries, multiple
references are lumped together in paragraph form, which may make it
hard for some readers to distinguish among them. Since the
bibliographies are not extensive, this encyclopedia would have
benefited from including additional resources for patrons wanting
more information. BOTTOM LINE Dana K. Cassell and David H.
Gleaves′s Encyclopedia of Obesity and Eating Disorders (Facts On
File, 2006, 3d ed.) is geared more toward a general audience and
libraries with smaller budgets. This work, featuring a reading
level appropriate for high school audiences and above, is
recommended for academic and public libraries."
—Library Journal
*Library Journal*
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