

20 Academic Credits
C&C


Personal Tutor
Online Study Support


January, April, September
Course Start Dates
This module will:
critically review the multitude of factors contributing to obesity, and also the health and social consequences of this modern epidemic. It will also provide an understanding of the complexity of obesity and a means to assess patients according to the causes of their weight gain, to help generate more effective solutions.
The module aims to:
- Demonstrate the complexity of obesity and the wide range of interconnected factors that contribute to weight gain
- Introduce tools to assess patients according to the causes of their obesity to help generate more effective solutions
- Provide an understanding of the wide-ranging consequences of obesity and their implications for individuals and society
- Develop sensitivity and compassion towards people living with obesity
This module will explore causes of obesity in depth to facilitate a greater understanding of the problem in an individual patient. Evidence for classifying obesity as a disease will be reviewed along with conflicting hypotheses on the science and pathophysiology of obesity. Key questions will be asked about the role of the food industry, changes in food consumption, food policy, and the individual in the obesity epidemic.
The module also includes an overview the physiology of adipose tissue and the co-morbidities of obesity and their pathogenesis including: type 2 diabetes, complications of pregnancy, cognitive effects, sleep apnoea, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and cardiovascular complications. The emotional and economic consequences of obesity, together with the impact of an obesogenic environment, are also reviewed.
This module requires a payment of the standard CCH Postgraduate Module fee £1185