Neil Mehta - Rollins School of Public Health, Emory
Mortality Attributable to Obesity: Controversies, Evidence, and Challenges
Date: 12/01/2011 (Thu)
Time: 3:30pm- 5:00pm
Location: Seminar will be held on-site: Rhodes Conference Rm. Sanford School of Public Policy
Organizer: Amar Hamoudi
Meeting Schedule: Login or email the organizer to schedule a meeting.
All meetings will be held in the same location as the seminar unless otherwise noted.
9:00am - Giovanna Merli (breakfast)
10:30am - Sherman James
12:00pm - Lunch: Seth Sanders
1:30pm - meeting with DuPRI students
2:00pm - meeting with DuPRI students
3:30pm - Seminar Presentation (3:30pm to 5:00pm)
6:00pm - Dinner: Amar Hamoudi, Katherine King
Additional Comments: Abstract: Prior estimates of the magnitude of the association between obesity and mortality have varied widely and have been a source of ongoing debates and controversies. Some prior studies have indicated that mortality attributable to obesity rivals that of cigarette smoking, while other research points toward a more modest role for obesity. Estimates of the magnitude of obesity's effect on population-level mortality patterns often rely on estimates of individual-level risks from obesity. Studies have used a variety of approaches in estimating these risks and have produced widely differing results. In my talk, I will review prior controversies and discuss relevant methodological challenges pertinent to estimating obesity risks. I will present selected evidence from my prior work on this topic. I will also discuss new collaborative research on measuring the contribution of obesity to international differences in longevity. This new work includes incorporating "obesity histories" (e.g., duration obese) into equations estimating obesity risks because obesity histories appear important to measuring these risks and countries may differ in their obesity histories.