The Complexity of Adolescent Obesity

Peter D. Vash, MD, MPH, FACE, assistant clinical professor of medicine at UCLA Medical Center and Fellow of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, is a board-certified internist specializing in endocrinology and metabolism and a Diplomat in Obesity Medicine. He is the past president of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians and served on the Board of the North American Society for the Study of Obesity (NASSO). Dr. Vash works in private practice with patients suffering from obesity and eating disorders and has lectured extensively nationally and internationally on the medical management and treatment of obesity. He has been an invited expert witness to speak before a U.S. Senate subcommittee and the FTC concerning medical weight-loss issues and the safety and impact of commercial weight-loss programs. He has written four books: The Fat to Muscle Diet, The Dieter’s Dictionary, A Matter of Fat: A Physician’s Program, and Lose It and Keep It Off. He has served on the board of Shape Magazine, writing numerous articles regarding health, fitness, and weight problems. Dr. Vash has worked closely in consultation with the media (TV, radio, print), aiding them with information and explanations of issues regarding obesity and eating disorders. He is currently the executive medical director of the Lindora Medical Clinics, the largest and oldest medical weight-loss clinic in Southern California.

Introduction. Part I: The Prevalence of Adolescent Obesity. Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in Adolescents: A Systematic Review. Part II: Causes and Correlations. Television Viewing and Food Choice Patterns in a Sample of Predominantly Ethnic Minority Youth. Later Bedtime is Associated with Greater Daily Energy Intake and Screen Time in Obese Adolescents Independent of Sleep Duration. Infrequent Breakfast Consumption Is Associated with Higher Body Adiposity and Abdominal Obesity in Malaysian School-Aged Adolescents. Relationship of Milk Intake and Physical Activity to Abdominal Obesity among Adolescents. The Effect of "Sleep High and Train Low" on Weight Loss in Overweight Chinese Adolescents: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial. Waist-to-Height Ratio and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Adolescence: Findings from a Prospective Birth Cohort. Neurobehavioural Correlates in Older Children and Adolescents with Obesity and Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Part III: Implications and Consequences. Weight Status and Weight-Management Behaviors Among Philadelphia High School Students, 2007–2011. Fitness, Fatness, and Academic Performance in Seventh-Grade Elementary School Students. Physical Fitness, Overweight and the Risk of Eating Disorders in Adolescents. The AVENA and AFINOS Studies. Adolescent Obesity, Joint Pain, and Hypermobility. FTO, Obesity and the Adolescent Brain. Part IV: Considerations for Future Action. Changes in Adolescents’ Intake of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Sedentary Behavior: Results at 8 Month Mid-Way Assessment of The HEIA Study—A Comprehensive, Multi-Component School-Based Randomized Trial. Averting Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes in India through Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxation: An Economic-Epidemiologic Modeling Study. Big Food, Food Systems, and Global Health. Index.