The Anthropology of Obesity in the United States

The Anthropology of Obesity in the United States PDF Author: Anna Bellisari
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317402499
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 319

Get Book

Book Description
This volume examines the biocultural dimensions of obesity from an anthropological perspective in an effort to broaden understanding of a growing public health concern. The United States of America currently has the highest rates of obesity among developed countries, with an alarming rise in prevalence in recent decades which promises to affect the nation for years to come. Bellisari helps students to grasp the complex nature of this obesity epidemic, demonstrating that it is the consequence of many interacting forces which range from individual genetic and physiological predispositions to national policies and American cultural beliefs and practices. As much a social problem as an individual one, the development of obesity is in fact encouraged by the pattern of high consumption and physical inactivity that is promoted by American economic, political, and ideological systems. With a range of up-to-date scientific and medical data, The Anthropology of Obesity in the United States provides students with a comprehensive picture of obesity, its multiple causes, and the need for society-wide action to address the issue.

The Anthropology of Obesity in the United States

The Anthropology of Obesity in the United States PDF Author: Anna Bellisari
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317402499
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 319

Get Book

Book Description
This volume examines the biocultural dimensions of obesity from an anthropological perspective in an effort to broaden understanding of a growing public health concern. The United States of America currently has the highest rates of obesity among developed countries, with an alarming rise in prevalence in recent decades which promises to affect the nation for years to come. Bellisari helps students to grasp the complex nature of this obesity epidemic, demonstrating that it is the consequence of many interacting forces which range from individual genetic and physiological predispositions to national policies and American cultural beliefs and practices. As much a social problem as an individual one, the development of obesity is in fact encouraged by the pattern of high consumption and physical inactivity that is promoted by American economic, political, and ideological systems. With a range of up-to-date scientific and medical data, The Anthropology of Obesity in the United States provides students with a comprehensive picture of obesity, its multiple causes, and the need for society-wide action to address the issue.

Obesity

Obesity PDF Author: Alexandra A. Brewis
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
ISBN: 081354890X
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 233

Get Book

Book Description
Introduction: the problem with obesity -- Defining obesity -- Obesity and human adaptation -- The distribution of risk -- Culture and body ideals -- Big-body symbolism, meanings, and norms -- Conclusion: the big picture.

Reconstructing Obesity

Reconstructing Obesity PDF Author: Megan B. McCullough
Publisher: Berghahn Books
ISBN: 1782381422
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 256

Get Book

Book Description
In the crowded and busy arena of obesity and fat studies, there is a lack of attention to the lived experiences of people, how and why they eat what they do, and how people in cross-cultural settings understand risk, health, and bodies. This volume addresses the lacuna by drawing on ethnographic methods and analytical emic explorations in order to consider the impact of cultural difference, embodiment, and local knowledge on understanding obesity. It is through this reconstruction of how obesity and fatness are studied and understood that a new discussion will be introduced and a new set of analytical explorations about obesity research and the effectiveness of obesity interventions will be established.

The Applied Anthropology of Obesity

The Applied Anthropology of Obesity PDF Author: Chad T. Morris
Publisher: Lexington Books
ISBN: 149851264X
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 246

Get Book

Book Description
The Applied Anthropology of Obesity advances understanding of the many cultural factors underlying increased global obesity prevalence. This book candidly discusses obesity research, prevention, and intervention programs, providing rich information about social identity, obesity prevention, and treatment.

Fat

Fat PDF Author: Don Kulick
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1585423866
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 257

Get Book

Book Description
An eclectic and highly original examination of one of the most dynamic concepts-and constructs-in the world. With more than one billion overweight adults in the world today, obesity has become an epidemic. But fat is not as straightforward-or even as uni-versally damned-as one might think. Enlisting thirteen anthropologists and a fat activist, editors and anthropologists Don Kulick and Anne Meneley have produced an unconventional-and unprecedented-examination of fat in various cultural and social contexts. In this anthology, these writers argue that fat is neither a mere physical state nor an inert concept. Instead, it is a construct built by culture and judged in courts of public opinion, courts whose laws vary from society to society. From the anthropology of "fat-talk" among teenage girls in Sweden to the veneration of Spam in Hawaii; from fear of the fat-sucking pishtaco vampire in the Andes to the underground allure of fat porn stars like Supersize Betsy-this anthology provides fresh perspectives on a subject more complex than love handles, and less easily understood than a number on a scale. Fat proves that fat can be beautiful, evil, pornographic, delicious, shameful, ugly, or magical. It all depends on who-and where-you are.

The Anthropology of Obesity in the United States

The Anthropology of Obesity in the United States PDF Author: Anna Bellisari
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317402502
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 266

Get Book

Book Description
This volume examines the biocultural dimensions of obesity from an anthropological perspective in an effort to broaden understanding of a growing public health concern. The United States of America currently has the highest rates of obesity among developed countries, with an alarming rise in prevalence in recent decades which promises to affect the nation for years to come. Bellisari helps students to grasp the complex nature of this obesity epidemic, demonstrating that it is the consequence of many interacting forces which range from individual genetic and physiological predispositions to national policies and American cultural beliefs and practices. As much a social problem as an individual one, the development of obesity is in fact encouraged by the pattern of high consumption and physical inactivity that is promoted by American economic, political, and ideological systems. With a range of up-to-date scientific and medical data, The Anthropology of Obesity in the United States provides students with a comprehensive picture of obesity, its multiple causes, and the need for society-wide action to address the issue.

The Obesity Epidemic in North America

The Obesity Epidemic in North America PDF Author: Anna Bellisari
Publisher: Waveland Press
ISBN: 1478608013
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 121

Get Book

Book Description
Obesity prevalence in North America is the highest in the developed world, a situation that calls for a deeper understanding of this complex phenomenon. Brief yet comprehensive, The Obesity Epidemic in North America offers a much-needed examination of the effects of human evolution, environmental changes, human variation, poverty, and culture. An ideal supplement in nutritional anthropology or medical anthropology classes, the books rare biocultural perspective helps readers grasp the root causes of obesity. As Bellisari sees it, the medical and nutrition-science fields are fully engaged in developing strategies to address the obesity problem. It is institutions, such as political and economic organizations, as well as society itself, that need to become more proactive in improving obesity-related public health. This text provides a giant first step toward that end.

Fat in Four Cultures

Fat in Four Cultures PDF Author: Cindi SturtzSreetharan
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
ISBN: 1487537360
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 235

Get Book

Book Description
Traits that signal belonging dictate our daily routines, including how we eat, move, and connect to others. In recent years, "fat" has emerged as a shared anchor in defining who belongs and is valued versus who does not and is not. The stigma surrounding weight transcends many social, cultural, political, and economic divides. The concern over body image shapes not only how we see ourselves, but also how we talk, interact, and fit into our social networks, communities, and broader society. Fat in Four Cultures is a co-authored comparative ethnography that reveals the shared struggles and local distinctions of how people across the globe are coping with a bombardment of anti-fat messages. Highlighting important differences in how people experience "being fat," the cases in this book are based on fieldwork by five anthropologists working together simultaneously in four different sites across the globe: Japan, the United States, Paraguay, and Samoa. Through these cases, Fat in Four Cultures considers what insights can be gained through systematic, cross-cultural comparison. Written in an eye-opening and narrative-driven style, with clearly defined and consistently used key terms, this book effectively explores a series of fundamental questions about the present and future of fat and obesity.

Fat in Four Cultures

Fat in Four Cultures PDF Author: Cindi SturtzSreetharan
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
ISBN: 1487525621
Category : Body image
Languages : en
Pages : 235

Get Book

Book Description
This unique comparative ethnography uses a systematic and nuanced approach to delve into the myriad meanings of being fat within and across different global sites.

Fat Planet

Fat Planet PDF Author: Eileen P. Anderson-Fye
Publisher: University of New Mexico Press
ISBN: 0826358012
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 272

Get Book

Book Description
The average size of human bodies all over the world has been steadily rising over recent decades. The total count of people clinically labeled “obese” is now at least three times what it was in 1980. Fat Planet represents a collaborative effort to consider at a global scale what fat stigma is and what it does to people. Making use of an array of social science perspectives applied in multiple settings, the authors examine the interplay of weight, wealth, history, culture, and meaning to fat and its social rejection. They explore the notion of symbolic body capital—the power of non-fat bodies to do what people need or want. In so doing, they illustrate the complex and quickly shifting dynamics in thinking about fat—often considered personal yet powerfully influenced by and influential upon the broader world in which we live.