This handbook provides a demographic examination of global obesity trends by bringing together the range of research conducted in this field by demographers, sociologists, epidemiologists, and other quantitatively and demographically oriented social scientists. It utilizes a multidisciplinary demographic approach to provide insights into the global prevalence and mechanisms of obesity, as well as the population level impacts of rising obesity. Major sections include: global obesity trends and prevalence; obesity and demographic structures, processes, and characteristics; emerging areas of study; and obesity in LGBAT populations. This handbook provides readers with a broad understanding of population-based research on obesity and serves as a resource for scholars, students, policymakers, and researchers.
Ginny Garcia-Alexander, PhD is Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Her research specialty areas include social demography, health and reproductive health disparities, and the study of religion's influence on health status and behaviors. Dr. Garcia's current research explores socio-demographic disparities in health outcomes and obesity, as well discrimination on the basis of obesity status and other patient factors; denominational variations in infant mortality rates; and studies of the reproductive decision-making process and use of sterilization. She is the co-author of Social Foundations of Behavior for the Health Sciences (2017), which examines the importance of social factors in determining health outcomes. She also teaches courses on population, health inequities, and medical sociology.
Dudley L. Poston, Jr. is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. He taught at Texas A&M for 27 years, prior to his retirement in the Spring of 2019. He previously served on the faculties of Cornell University (1988-1992) and the University of Texas at Austin (1970-1988). He has co-authored/edited 21 books and over 350 journal articles, book chapters, and research reports. The 2nd edition of his Handbook of Population was published in 2019. During his tenure at Texas A&M University, he taught graduate and undergraduate courses on Statistics, Demography, and Demographic Methods.
