the REPORT topic MUST be addressed using the required readings, but students are encouraged to consult the optional readings listed for each topic. Broader reading may contribute to better essays.
This assignment requires students to develop a report of no more than 1500 words (excluding the
abstract, references or any included figures or tables) on the following topic:
A) Overweight and obesity – a global problem
The report should be divided into sections that include:
a summary or abstract
an introduction or background to the topic,
the size, nature and distribution of the problem (e.g. by population groups or geographic
areas),
the leading determinants of the health problem and if there are any gaps in our
understanding of these determinants,
the barriers and opportunities for prevention, and
a brief discussion or conclusion.
Students may select their own sub-heading titles to clarify the report’s content. The inclusion of
figures or tables is not required, however, if included there must be no more than two (2) of each.
They must each have a title and the source must be identified and included in the reference list.
It is expected that the report will reflect the relevant required readings for the lectures on defining
and measuring health, the determinants of health, and the social determinants of health. It is hoped
that students will also make use of the recommended readings. Superior reports will also draw on
additional recent and relevant articles or reports that have been found as part of your research on
this topic.
Recommended readings for: Overweight and obesity – a global problem
It is EXPECTED that reports utilise the following reports/articles:
1. WHO (2011). Global status report on non-communicable diseases 2010 – description of the
global burden of NCDs, their risk factors and determinants, World Health Organisation, April
2011. http://www.who.int/nmh/publications/ncd_report2010/en/
2. Caballero, B. (2007). The global epidemic of obesity: An overview. Epidemiologic Review, 29(1),
1–5. doi: 10.1093/epirev/mxm012
3. Popkin, B.M. (2006).Technology, transport, globalization and the nutrition transition food
policy. Food Policy, 31(6), 554-561. Doi: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2006.02.008
It is recommended that essays utilise the following articles/reports:
4. Prentice, A. (2006).The emerging epidemic of obesity in developing countries. International
Journal of Epidemiology, 35(1), 93–99. doi: 10.1093/ije/dyi272
5. WHO. (2014). Obesity and overweight. Media Center Fact Sheet No. 311, reviewed May 2014.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/en/
6. Ng, M., Fleming, T., Robinson, M. Graetz, N., Margono, C….. Gakidou, E. (2014). Global,
regional, and national prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adults during
1980-2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013; The Lancet,
384(9945), 761-788. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(14)60460-8
7. Finkelstein, E., Ruhm, C., and Kosa, K. (2005). Economic causes and consequences of obesity.
Annual Review of Public Health, 26, 239–257. doi: 10.1146/annurev.publhealth.26.021304.144628