Obesity : cultural and biocultural perspectives /

Obesity : cultural and biocultural perspectives /

Saved in:

Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:	Brewis, Alexandra, author.
Imprint:	New Brunswick, New Jersey : Rutgers University Press, ©2011.
Description:	1 online resource (xviii, 209 pages) : illustrations, maps.
Language:	English
Series:	Studies in medical anthropology Studies in medical anthropology.
Subject:	Obesity -- Social aspects. Medical anthropology. Obesity. Body Image. Cross-Cultural Comparison. Health Behavior. Medical anthropology. Obesity -- Social aspects. Electronic books.
Format:	E-Resource Book
URL for this record:	http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/11125124

Hidden Bibliographic Details
ISBN:	9780813552385 0813552389 9780813548906 081354890X 9780813548913 0813548918 1283864355 9781283864350
Notes:	Includes bibliographical references (pages 175-200) and index. English. Online resource; title from e-book title screen (JSTOR platform, viewed December 13, 2016).
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"--Provided by publisher.
Other form:	Print version: Brewis, Alexandra A., 1965- Obesity. New Brunswick, N.J. : Rutgers University Press, ©2011 9780813548906 9780813548913
Standard no.:	99948487778

Table of 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
Appendix A: Global rates of overweight and obesity
Appendix B: Body mass index tables
Appendix C: Tools for the comparative study of body image
Appendix D: Using cultural consensus analysis to understand obesity norms.