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.