Understanding the Complex Journey to Obesity in Early Adulthood
Authors: Robert C. Whitaker
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2002)

Editorials18 June 2002Understanding the Complex Journey to Obesity in Early AdulthoodRobert C. Whitaker, MD, MPHRobert C. Whitaker, MD, MPHCincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center; Cincinnati, OH 45229-3039Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-136-12-200206180-00013 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail To anyone delivering health care to adults in the United States, the impact of obesity on physical and emotional health is obvious. Obesity is often related to the pathophysiology of a patient's "chief complaint." When it is not, the obesity is still likely to influence how the physician diagnoses and manages the patient's health concerns. Even those in practice for only a few years feel that more of their patients are obese now than before and that their patients are becoming obese at even younger ages. 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Google Scholar19. Smith DE, Lewis CE, Caveny JL, Perkins LL, Burke GL, Bild DE. Longitudinal changes in adiposity associated with pregnancy. The CARDIA Study. Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study. JAMA. 1994;271:1747-51. [PMID: 8196117] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar20. Engel GL. The need for a new medical model: a challenge for biomedicine. Science. 1977;196:129-36. [PMID: 847460] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Robert C. Whitaker, MD, MPHAffiliations: Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center; Cincinnati, OH 45229-3039Acknowledgment: The author thanks Robert S. Kahn, MD, MPH, for his assistance and the Center for Health and Wellbeing at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, for its financial support.Corresponding Author: Robert C. Whitaker, MD, MPH, General and Community Pediatrics Research Center, ML-7035, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45229-3039. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoThe Natural History of the Development of Obesity in a Cohort of Young U.S. Adults between 1981 and 1998 Kathleen M. McTigue , Joanne M. Garrett , and Barry M. 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