Date of Award

2014

Publication Type

Master Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.Sc.

Department

Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering

Supervisor

J. Pasek, Zbigniew

Rights

info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is development of a systemic obesity model that can track and monitor body weight on individual and population levels. Considering that obesity is responsible for over 60% of all leading death causes in developed societies and the world-wide spread of that preventable condition, it is critical to understand the mechanisms that may lead to its control and containment. The obesity model presented here was developed using System Dynamics (SD) approach which helps to map complex and dynamic causal relations, containing multiple feedback loops, between key variables and their effects and also considered in the temporal domain. The model is validated by using the actual data provided by a Windsor Medical Weight Loss Clinic in Windsor, ON, and actual data acquired from online sources. Based on the available data, sensitivity analysis was performed, as well as a variety of scenario analyses.

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