Abstract
The increasing prevalence of obesity in the adult population has important implications for the health status of the population. Understanding the reasons for this increase will provide guidance in developing public health approaches to address the problem. In this paper we examine the changing relationship between educational attainment and obesity. We use annual cross-sectional survey data (National Health Interview Survey) of non-institutionalized adults aged 18 years or older conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control. Our results show that the educational advantage in obesity is declining. The prevalence of obesity among those with more than a high school education has increased at a faster rate than it has among those with less than a high school education between 1984 and 1994 (76 percent versus 41 percent among whites and 77 percent versus 27 percent among blacks). If the prevalence of obesity by educational level had stayed the same, the increased educational attainment of the population would have led to a decline in overall obesity prevalence. If the educational differentials in obesity had not changed, obesity would have been expected to increase from 11.77 percent to 15.62 percent of the population between 1984 and 1994, compared to the 18.21 percent observed. In contrast to expectations, the increased educational level of the adult population has not resulted in a decline in obesity. Although future cohorts of older adults are likely to be better educated, they also are more likely to be obese, leading to increased risk of heart disease and diabetes.
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Her research focuses on the patterns of health and illness in the elderly population, particularly the effects of obesity on later life health.
Sandra L. Reynolds received her Ph.D.in Gerontology from the Andrus Gerontology Center at the University of Southern California in 1996, after which she joined the faculty at the University of South Florida's School of Aging Studies. Her research interests include guardianship, advance directives, elder abuse, trends in health and disability, obesity, and active life expectancy.
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Himes, C.L., Reynolds, S.L. The changing relationship between obesity and educational status. Gend. Issues 22, 45–57 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12147-005-0014-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12147-005-0014-2