313.686.11 THE CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF OBESITY

Provides students with an in-depth understanding of the global obesity epidemic and the major challenges to reducing the prevalence of excess body weight. Lectures will be inter-disciplinary and focus specifically on the global prevalence of obesity (including variation among sub-populations), the direct and indirect consequences of obesity, the primary and distal causes of obesity, methodological issues related to the study of obesity, and promising interventions/policies to address the problem of obesity. Encourages students to think creatively about the nature of the global obesity epidemic and possible ways to reduce population prevalence.

Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to: 1. Describe the prevalence, consequences and key drivers of the obesity epidemic. 2. Discuss methodological issues associated with the study of obesity. 3. Identify promising interventions/policies to reduce obesity prevalence.