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Multidisciplinary Approach to Obesity pp 31–39Cite as

Obesity: Definition and Epidemiology

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Abstract

Obesity is the most prevalent form of malnutrition in the industrialized countries, and it is rapidly becoming highly prevalent also in the developing world. In 2008, 35 % of adults aged 20+ were overweight and 11 % were obese (meaning that in the world 205 million men and 300 million women were obese). Obesity is considered a multifactorial condition, caused by a complex interaction between the environment, genetic predisposition, and human behavior. The relevance of obesity as a risk factor for medical conditions is very well known; it is now considered as a major contributor to the global burden of disease and disability, because it is linked to various disabling conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, stroke, certain cancers, osteoarthritis, etc. Moreover, it has been reported that obesity is associated with an increased risk of death, although the relation of BMI categories with mortality has been the subject of much controversy, because epidemiologic studies have found linear, U-shaped, or J-shaped relationship between BMI and total mortality. The problem of overweight and obesity is considered one of the most pressing global issues that we will continue to face during the next several decades and demands attention from the healthcare community, researchers, and policy makers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CNR-Neuroscience Institute, Aging Branch-Padova, Via Giustiniani 2, 35128, Padova, Italy

    Stefania Maggi, Marianna Noale, Federica Limongi & Gaetano Crepaldi

  2. Department of Medicine, University of Padova, Via Giustiniani 2, 35128, Padova, Italy

    Luca Busetto

Authors
  1. Stefania Maggi
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  2. Luca Busetto
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  3. Marianna Noale
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  4. Federica Limongi
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  5. Gaetano Crepaldi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stefania Maggi .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Endocrinology and Nutrition, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy

    Andrea Lenzi

  2. Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, Unit of Endocrinology, Foro Italico University, Rome, Italy

    Silvia Migliaccio

  3. Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Endocrinology and Nutrition, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy

    Lorenzo Maria Donini

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© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Maggi, S., Busetto, L., Noale, M., Limongi, F., Crepaldi, G. (2015). Obesity: Definition and Epidemiology. In: Lenzi, A., Migliaccio, S., Donini, L. (eds) Multidisciplinary Approach to Obesity. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09045-0_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09045-0_3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-09044-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-09045-0

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