A previous study from this population of 59,566 women showed an inverse relationship between socioeconomic status and obesity [Rimm, I., and Rimm, A. Prev. Med. 3, 543-572 (1974)]. In this study the data were reexamined to determine at what age levels socioeconomic status affects obesity. It was found that socioeconomic status is related to obesity primarily because of its effect on weight change during the child-bearing years. The difference in adult weight (adjusted for height) between the lowest and highest socioeconomic group is 17.5 pounds. Although this difference is large, this study shows that socioeconomic status is only one of many possible factors influencing weight change. Less than 2% of the variation in adult weight change during the child-bearing years is explained by socioeconomic status.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health