The Seven Deadly Sins of Obesity: Howthe Modern World is Making us Fat

Dixon J & Broom D. University of NSW Press, Sydney,2007, 240 pages, $39.95, ISBN 978-0-8684-0955-9The prevalence of overweight and obesity in Australia con-tinues to grow every day, and the issue is now clearly onthe public and political as well as the health agenda. Itseems that the only thing that is growing faster than therates of obesity is the number of articles and books dis-cussing the problem of obesity. Unfortunately, the plethoraof literature has not always been helpful in furthering ourunderstanding of the issue or how we can effectivelyaddress the problem. Thus, my initial reaction to a booktitled The Seven Deadly Sins of Obesity was one of trepida-tion. Political and popular discussion of the issue hasalready given way to a large amount of moralising aboutobesity and obese persons, and I did not relish the task ofreviewing another epistle on the evils of excess weight.Thankfully, a brief glimpse of the cover relieved my anxietywhen I noticed the subtitle—‘How the modern world ismaking us fat’, and recognised the editors (Jane Dixon andDorothy Broom) as two prominent Australian sociologistswith a strong interest in nutrition and health. In fact, thelink between the title of the book and its content is a littletenuous and contrived, but the authors can be forgiven forusing the catchy title as a marketing hook.

The book explores the key drivers of the modern epi-demic of obesity from a sociological rather than biologicalperspective. It is built around the proposition that althoughpersonal behaviours associated with obesity have been thefocus of much discussion of obesity that these are not whollyunder personal control but are being directed by changingsocial trends that create ‘obesogenic’ environments. It estab-lishes its own list of seven modern sins based on a Delphistudy conducted by the national Centre for Epidemiologyand Public Health at ANU. The top seven social trendssuggested by the experts consulted as the most likely con-tributors to the rising obesity levels were restated as sevensins of the modern environment. Each of these environmen-tal sins is discussed in detail in separate chapters which areauthored by a variety of (non-medical) academics. Mostalarming is that all but one lives in Canberra!

Although there are separate chapters for each of theenvironmental sins, there are no clear boundaries betweenthe issues discussed in each. Richard Dennis tackles thefirst environmental sin of the commodified environment.In his chapter, he argues that economic growth is reliantupon continuing to expand consumer demand and pro-duction, and thus is more likely to be associated withworsening weight status than delivering solutions. Broomand Strazdins discuss the apparent paradox that it is busy-ness rather than sloth which appears to be most associatedwith increasing weight. The chapter on the pressuredparent environment by Banley, Shipley and Strazdins sug-gests that modern parenting expectation of more intenseinvolvement with children brings time and financial pres-sures that inhibit good eating and physical activity behav-

iours. Technology in the focus of the chapter by Dugdaleand Dixon which explores whether digital leisure pursuitscan be blamed for reduced rates of physical activity andincreasing rates of overweight and obesity in children.Hinde’s chapter on the car-reliant environment finds thatthe evidence of a direct association between car use andweight problems is not as strong as expected, but our fixa-tion with car use is likely to be a major contributor to theproblem of obesity. The final sinful environment relates tothe proliferation of competing sources of advice about whatto eat and how to exercise. In this chapter, Dixon andWinter argue that the rise of myriad advisers and contestedadvice within the modern marketplace only leads toanxious and confused consumers, rather than improveddiet and physical activity behaviours. This is followed byan excellent chapter by Friel and Broom on inequalities inobesity, and the final chapter loosely draws the argumentstogether for some less than firm conclusions.

In general, the book is easy to read and immensely inter-esting even to those who have not been swallowed into thevortex of obesity control. The style is scholarly rather thanacademic where the authors justify their arguments by ref-erence to existing literature without being enslaved tomerely reviewing past work. However, the use of referenc-ing is a little uneven, and does not differentiate betweenthe quantity and quality of source, and some referencesrelate to general media reports or personal communica-tions. The chapters display variability in length, structureand approach and, in some sections, the continuity andfocus get lost. The editors do try to retain some continuityacross chapters, but because they are written by differentauthors, they feel like separate essays rather than chaptersbuilding upon each other. This also results in the sameissue being addressed on a number of occasions in differ-ent chapters, but this repetition serves to reinforce the con-nectivity and complexity of the forces underlying thedevelopment of obesity in modern society.

The book is a fascinating read which adds further layers toour understanding and perception of the causes of themodern obesity epidemic. I am disappointed that the authorsdid not take the opportunity to expand on how this revisedunderstanding of the drivers of obesity could influence actionto prevent and manage the problem. But. of course, that couldbe the subject matter of another book on obesity.

Tim Gill, BSc (Hon), PhD, GradDipDietPrincipal Research Fellow and Co-Director

New South Wales Centre for Public Health Nutrition,University of Sydney

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Everybody’s Different

O’Dea J. ACER Press, Camberwell, Victoria, 2007 326pages, $59.95. ISBN 978-0-86431-773-5.This book is essential for anyone teaching childrenand adolescents about health, growth and development,nutrition and body image. This would include primarily

Book Reviews

© 2008 The AuthorsJournal compilation © 2008 Dietitians Association of Australia

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