Internet Resources on Weight Loss and Obesity

Citation

Holman, M. (2008), "Internet Resources on Weight Loss and Obesity", The Electronic Library, Vol. 26 No. 1, pp. 137-138. https://doi.org/10.1108/02640470810851851

Experienced Medical Reference Librarian, Lillian Brazin has assembled a practical and thoroughly accessible pathfinder to reliable on‐line information to help the lay reader, “understand and solve the problem of obesity.”

More experienced web searchers should not be distracted by the Chapters 2 and 3 in which the author provides a succinct introduction to the internet, search engines, and other “basics” for those less experienced. The balance of this small book is packed with a well‐chosen selection of topical web sites.

Chapter 4 introduces resources on diet and nutrition broadly, while Chapter 5 provides useful online tools for assessing nutrition‐related measurements such as basal metabolism and body mass index.

Chapter 6 addresses food‐related disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia. Here Ms Brazin has selected web sites focused on the medical research into the disorders as well as sources for support and recovery of individuals and families affected by these damaging disorders.

Obesity in children and teenagers is a public health issue that is much in the news in the USA in recent years. Chapter 7 contains links to sources for news, research, and specific programs created to address this concern.

Chapters 8 through 12 address specific methods by which the reader may consider dealing with weight issues. Chapter 8 focuses upon non‐surgical means of weight loss programs and methods. The author distinguishes between commercial and non‐commercial programs and includes sources for information on weight‐loss products such as specific popular diets and meal‐replacement plans. She also includes web sites with information on psychotherapy, hypnosis, and spiritual approaches to the challenge of weight loss.

Bariatric surgeries such as gastric band or bypass are increasingly performed on persons with severe obesity. Chapter 9 contains links to in‐depth information for those considering this option. This chapter also contains considerably more narrative than previously provided as the author explains the health risks and benefits various procedures.

Chapter 10 contains a small collection of sources of information on medications prescribed to assist patients with weight‐loss in the United States. Next Chapter 11 returns to the more traditional approach to weight‐loss, listing residential centers and spas that offer special programs of diet, exercise, and nutrition education for those who can afford a visit. Appropriately, Chapter 12 lists web sites that serve as repositories of healthy recipes such as the fairly international collection of “SOAR: The Searchable Online Archive of Recipes” on the RecipeSource site: www.recipesource.com

A brief glossary of terms and a thorough index round out a well‐designed guide. Although the focus on sources from the United States may prove limiting to some, Internet Resources on Weight Loss and Obesity would be an affordable and practical acquisition for health science libraries with patient education collections, as well as public libraries that seek to address this popular topic.