Obesity research areas

Obesity is a very complex subject. It is not easy to readily get an overall understanding of the possible research venues related to this topic.

I believe however that reading the following document developed by the North American Association for the Study of Obesity (NAASO) and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) can be of tremendous help : The Practical Guide: Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults.

Obesity can thus be approached according to 5 general categories :

1. Obesity level


• Overweight, BMI : 25 - 29.9 kg/m²
• Obesity (class I), BMI : 30 - 34.9 kg/m²
• Obesity (class II), BMI : 35 - 39.9 kg/m²
• Extreme obesity (class III), BMI : >= 40 kg/m²
  
2. Therapy used


• Dietary therapy
• Physical activity
• Behavior therapy
• Pharmacotherapy
• Weight loss surgery
3. Population studied


• Children
• Adolescents
• Adults
• Elderly
• Men or women
• Race
4. Type of intervention


• Assessment
• Management
5. Management goal
• Weight loss
• Weight maintaining
• Weight gain prevention

Using this general framework, it becomes easier to identify interesting and relevant obesity research areas that can be studied in conjunction with information technologies, and more particularly with Internet.

The Impact of the Internet on Consumers Health Behaviour

I have just read this excellent document concerning the use of Internet to modify health behaviors. The report, titled The Impact of the Internet on Consumers Health Behaviour, was produced by the National Institute of Clinical Studies, based at the University of Queensland, in Melbourne, in February 2003.

The document aims to answer the 5 following questions :

1. What web-site interventions are effective in changing disease prevention behaviour or measurable health outcomes?


2. Does the Internet change the interaction between consumers and health professionals?


3. Does usage of the Iternet by consumers change their understanding of disease?


4. Does usage of the Internet by consumers change their self management of disease?


5. Does usage of the Internet increase consumer enablement?

Among the key messages listed in the document, we find the following most interesting comments :

• There have been few high quality studies that have assessed the effectiveness of heath care intervention delivered over the Internet, and it can be difficult to distinguish between the effectiveness of the intervention and the influence of the medium.


• Several interventions that have been shown to be effective through other media, such as cognitive behavioural therapy and decision aids, have been effectively provided via the Internet. Even in lower intensity interventions, there is some evidence of effectiveness to improve health outcomes.


• The quality of an Internet intervention is dependant on both the quality of the content and the quality of the use of the medium as a means of communication.

The list of references includes some important articles that are related to the treatment of obesity or diabetes :

• Harvey-Berino, J. (1998). Changing health behavior via telecommunications technology : Using interactive television to treat obesity. Behavior Therapy, 20 (3) : 505-519.


• Harvey-Berino, J., Pintauro, S. & al. (2002). Does using the Internet facilitate the maintenance of weight loss? International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, 26 (9) : 1254-1260.


• McKay, H. G., King, D. & al. (2001). The diabetes network Internet-based physical activity intervention : a randomized pilot study. Diabetes Care, 24 (8) : 1328-1334.


• Tate, D., Wing, R. R. & al. (2001). Using Internet technology to deliver a behavioral weight loss program. Journal of the American medical Association, 285 (9) : 1172-1177.