UNCW - Randall Library -

Introduction

Obesity has become a major public health crisis in the United States. According to a recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, obesity-related deaths "may soon overtake tobacco as the leading cause of mortality" in the United States (1). Americans have become steadily heavier over the last 40 years, so that now 64% of all adults are overweight. Fully 30% of American adults are obese. In 1960, only 13.3% of Americans were obese. Children are becoming fatter as well, with 15% overweight (2).

The story of obesity is also the story of hunger. A discussion of overweight must also include a discussion of diets and dieting, of what we eat, and when, with whom, and how much. The physiology of one's body is intimately linked to the psychology of how we feel about our bodies, and how food makes us feel-or how it helps us avoid feeling emotions we'd rather suppress. Obesity in America is also part of a larger discussion about economics, which includes the costs of obesity--$117 billion in 2000 (3)--spending on diet books, supplements, foods, and surgery, and the content of the food supply itself. The growth in convenience and fast foods has certainly contributed to our growing girth, as well as a sedentary society in which the average adult watches four hours of television each evening (4). It is also no coincidence that Americans have become some of the fattest people in the world at the same time that we are also the world's largest consumer of resources.

Scope
This pathfinder is a guide to doing research on weight and body image in the United States. These subjects are interdisciplinary and weave together biology, health, food science, sociology, politics, economics, and gender studies. Moreover, while weight and body image are intensely personal issues, they also have very public repercussions. The effects our national preoccupation with weight pervade our society, from the rising cost of obesity on public health, to extreme diet fads, to the debilitating effects of eating disorders especially on girls and women. The materials included here reflect the public and private aspects of how we feed ourselves and the consequent size of our bodies. The materials included deal almost exclusively with the United States, although some resources representing other cultures are included for comparison and contrast with the American experience.

Subject Headings
Use these subject headings to perform a targeted search of the library's online catalog for relevant materials.

Call Numbers
Go to these call numbers to browse for materials in particular subject areas.

BF697 - Body image

GT2850 - Eating and drinking customs

GV1-1860 - Recreation. Leisure

QP301 - Exercise physiology

RA645 - Nutrition in the prevention of disease

RA781 - Exercise

RC552 - Eating disorders

RM214-258 - Diet therapy

TX341-641 - Nutrition. Food and food supply

Encyclopedias and Guides
These reference tools are useful for getting a quick overview of a topic. Use these resources to familiarize yourself with the important issues, terms, dates, and trends in the subject area.

Dangerous dieting/ written and produced by Ray Messecar. Video RM222.2 .D364 1983

Recovering bodies: overcoming eating disorders/ directed by Katherine Sender, Sanjay Talreja. Video RC552.E18 R43 1997

Slim hopes: advertising and the obsession with thinness/ written and presented by Jean Kilbourne.Video BF697.5.B63 S64 1995

Databases
Use these databases to search for articles in journals and magazines.

HealthSource Plus-Consumer Edition
Consumer health journals, and general health, nutrition and professional health care publications. Subjects covered include behavioral health, cardiology, sports medicine and more.

PsycINFO
Citations to articles and book chapters in psychology and behavioral sciences.

PubMed
A free resource (1951-present) developed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM), PubMed is the most comprehensive biomedical research database, and a key resource used by scientists.

SPORTDiscus
International database of citations on all aspects of exercise, physiology, physical education, physical fitness, sports, sports medicine published since 1975, including books & sections of books, conference proceedings, periodical articles & research papers.

Journals
The following journals are excellent resources for articles and information about obesity, nutrition, exercise, and body image. You can find articles within these journals by searching within the databases listed above.

American Alliance for Health, Physical Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD)
http://www.aahperd.org/