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Application of Behavioral Economic Principles to Treatment of Childhood Obesity

  • Chapter
Obesity Treatment

Part of the book series: NATO ASI Series ((NSSA,volume 278))

Abstract

Obesity is a prevalent problem in childhood (Gortmaker, Dietz, Sobol, & Wehler, 1987), which increases the risk of adult obesity (Stark, Atkins, Wolff, & Douglas, 1981, Abraham, Collins, & Nordsieck, 1971), as well as adult morbidity and mortality (Must, Jacques, Dallal, Bajema, & Dietz, 1992,Nieto, Szklo, & Comstock, 1992). Behavioral treatment procedures have been used with considerable success in treating childhood obesity. Behavioral procedures have been shown to be superior to both no treatment (Epstein, Wing, Koeske, & Valoski, 1984; Israel, Stolmaker, Sharp, Silverman, & Simon, 1984, Kirschenbaum, Harris, & Tomarken, 1984) and attention placebo (Epstein, Wing, Steranchak, Dickson, & Michelson, 1980; Epstein, Wing, Woodall, Penner, Kress, & Koeske, 1985) controls for short term weight control, and behavioral treatments have been successful in maintaining treatment effects over five and then year intervals (Epstein, Valoski, Wing, & McCurley, 1990, Epstein, Valoski, Wing, & McCurley, 1993).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Buffalo, 235 Park Hall, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA

    Leonard H. Epstein

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  1. Leonard H. Epstein
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Obesity Research Center, Saint Luke’s/Roosevelt Hospital, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York, USA

    David B. Allison  & F. Xavier Pi-Sunyer  & 

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Epstein, L.H. (1995). Application of Behavioral Economic Principles to Treatment of Childhood Obesity. In: Allison, D.B., Pi-Sunyer, F.X. (eds) Obesity Treatment. NATO ASI Series, vol 278. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1901-0_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1901-0_15

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-5776-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-1901-0

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