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Abstract

The treatment of obesity was one of the earliest arenas of behavioral research. Much of this early attention focused on adults. Indeed, the vast majority of research on childhood obesity has occurred during the present decade. The increased attention given to this problem is reflected by the inclusion, in this volume, of a separate chapter on the subject. This is compared to a section of a chapter in the previous edition. However, there still has been comparatively little systematic research regarding this problem. What research has been done has been able to benefit from research on behavioral treatment of other childhood problems, and from the adult obesity literature. One of the probable reasons for interest in childhood obesity was a hope for greater success with early intervention. Both a learning perspective and potential biological influences were consistent with this belief. In addition, it was hoped that early intervention might avoid the repeated weight losses and gains often associated with adult obesity.

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© 1990 Plenum Press, New York

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Israel, A.C. (1990). Childhood Obesity. In: Bellack, A.S., Hersen, M., Kazdin, A.E. (eds) International Handbook of Behavior Modification and Therapy. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0523-1_38

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0523-1_38

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