Infusing sociology into a physiology classroom: teaching the physiology of obesity through a socioscientific lens.

Conventional teaching about obesity, especially within a physiology-based course, tends to focus on the biological aspects. Unfortunately, framing obesity from a solely biological perspective ignores many factors that contribute to the condition, leaving students with an overly simplistic idea. We developed an introductory exercise physiology course that was cotaught with a physiologist and a sociologist to provide health science majors with a more holistic view of complex socioscientific issues including obesity.