Canadian Guidelines For Body Weight Classification In Adults

This technical report describes a body weight classification system for Canadian adults, including the development, uses, interpretations, and limitations of the system. The weight classification system can be used to identify weight-related health risks in the population & in individuals age 18 or over. It provides a scheme for categorizing health risk according to body weight as measured by the body mass index and waist circumference. Information is included on how to calculate the body mass index, the cut-off points for the different weight categories, and the rationale & justification for changes made to update the system.

Issued also in French under title: Obesite au Canada.

Bariatric surgery plays an important role in the treatment of obesity; in this comprehensive resource the worldwide leaders of the field provide the most up-to-date information on the psychosocial issues that affect their patients. Included is an overview and history of surgical procedures, complete with illustrations, practical advice on topics such as physical activity and nutritional care after surgery, and essential information that allows clinicians to assist their clients as much as possible; for example, how pre-weight loss surgery psychosocial evaluations can serve as clinical interventions in their own right, and how structured interviews and questionnaires can be used in multiple contexts such as screening, treatment planning, and prognostic assessment. A distinctive chapter includes an overview of the special issues present in treating adolescents, who increasingly are the target of bariatric surgery procedures. This book is an essential reference for clinicians from the evaluation through the follow-up and aftercare of bariatric surgery patients.

The fact that about 30-40% of the adults in the Western world are overweight or obese testifies to the frequency of the disturbances in body weight regulation. Scientists have established that caloric intake, macronutrient composition of the diet, basal and resting metabolic rate, thermic response to food, energy expenditure associated with movement and physical activity, and preferential storage of the surplus of calories as fat or lean tissues are critical determinants of energy balance and body weight. While much has been learned, the field is poised for major advances with the advent of a variety of imaging techniques, progress in quantitative and molecular genetics, use of transgenic rodent models and of breeding experiments with informative inbred strains, availability of stable isotopes for metabolic and behavioral studies, and a growing number of useful experimental animal and human models. This volume takes an integrative approach to obesity. It is structured around four major topics: (1) the animal and human models currently available for the study of body weight regulation with their strengths and limitations, (2) the molecular and genetic basis of the regulation of body weight, (3) the metabolic and physiological mechanisms involved, and (4) the behavioral and social determinants. The 13 background papers provide a critical overview of the present knowledge base while the group reports summarize the extensive deliberations of 38 international experts. Particular emphasis has been given to promising research areas and on the advances needed to ensure a better understanding of the biological and behavioral mechanisms of the regulation of body weight, with a particular emphasis on overweight and obesity.