Family Practice Vol. 19, No. 5, 571
© Oxford University Press 2002
Book review |
Obesity and overweight matters in primary care.
Ruth Chambers, Gill Wakley. (196 pages, £19.95.) Radcliffe Medical Press Ltd, 2002. ISBN 1-85775-514-6.
Primary care physician, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
In the developed countries with unprecedented prosperity, obesity has become a major scourge to health. The prevalence rate of obesity has increased rapidly in recent years. In Scotland, 44% of men are overweight and 14% are obese, while 32% of women are overweight and 17% obese. Obesity is associated with a 5-fold increase in the incidence of hypertension, and with a 4-fold increase in the incidence of diabetes mellitus. Ruth Chambers and Gill Wakley’s book is therefore both useful and timely.
This is a short book of 183 pages including appendices and an index. Chapters 1 and 2 discuss the nature and scope of obesity and overweight and the general principle of management. Chapters 3 and 4 deal with management for specific age groups. Chapters 5–8 focus on the different modalities of treatment ranging from behavioural therapy and physical activity to surgical procedures. Chapter 9 calculates the cost of managing obesity and overweight, while the two remaining chapters are practice plans.
Overall, the book has two outstanding features: it is succinct and practical, using language and style appropriate for the general public. Secondly, it is rich in pedagogical devices such as cartoons, caption boxes and reflection exercises. If an analogy is called for, one could cite a workbook for Christian Sunday school.
As for criticism, after reading the book, one gets the impression that the presentation in general is repetitious and somewhat superficial. This comment may be unduly harsh, but perhaps a small book such as this cannot be expected to be both erudite and simple.
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