Obesity : cultural and biocultural perspectives / Alexandra A. Brewis.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Brewis, Alexandra.

Contributor:

George Clapp Vaillant Book Fund.

Series:

Studies in medical anthropology

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Obesity--Social aspects.

Obesity.

Medical anthropology.

Health Behavior.

Cross-Cultural Comparison.

Body Image.

Medical Subjects:

Obesity.

Health Behavior.

Cross-Cultural Comparison.

Body Image.

Physical Description:

xviii, 209 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

New Brunswick, N.J. : Rutgers University Press, [2011]

Summary:

"In a world filled with more people who are overweight than underweight, public health and medical perspectives paint obesity as a catastrophic epidemic that threatens to overwhelm health systems and undermine life expectancies globally. In many societies, being obese creates profound personal suffering because it is so culturally stigmatized. yet despite loud messages about the health and social costs of obesity, weight gain is a seemingly universal aspect of the modern human condition. Grounded in a holistic anthropological approach and using a range of ethnographic and ecological case studies, 'Obesity' shows that the human tendency to become and stay fat makes perfect sense in terms of evolved human inclinations and the physical and social realities of modern life. Drawing on her own fieldwork in the rural United States, Mexico, and the Pacific Islands, the author addresses such critical questions as why obesity is defined as a problem and why some groups are more at risk than others. She suggests innovative ways in which anthropology and other social sciences can use community-based research to address the serious public health and social justice concerns provoked by the global spread of obesity."--Back cover.

Contents:

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.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 175-200) and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the George Clapp Vaillant Book Fund.

ISBN:

9780813548913

9780813548906

081354890X

0813548918

OCLC:

539086955

Publisher Number:

99969132212