Differential trends in weight-related health behaviors among American young adults by gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status: 1984-2006.
OBJECTIVE
We investigated temporal patterns from 1984 to 2006 in 6 weight-related health behaviors by using longitudinal data for multiple cohorts of young adults (aged 19-26 years) from the nationally representative Monitoring the Future Study.


METHODS
We used growth curve models to examine historical trends in 6 health behaviors: frequency of eating breakfast, eating green vegetables, eating fruit, exercising, watching television, and sleeping 7 hours each night. Variations across gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status were investigated.


RESULTS
Frequency of exercising was consistently lower among young adult women than young adult men over this 23-year period. Compared with White women, Hispanic women, and women from other race/ethnic groups, Black women showed declines in the frequency of exercise since 1984. In general, young adult women showed a marked increase in the frequency of eating breakfast over this period, although Black women did not show any net gains.


CONCLUSIONS
Social disparities in body weight may increase because Black women, Hispanic women, and men with lower socioeconomic status show declining trends in positive weight-related health behaviors compared with White young adults with higher socioeconomic status.
Clarke
Philippa J
PJ
Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, 426 Thompson Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, USA. pjclarke@umich.edu
O'Malley
Patrick M
PM
Johnston
Lloyd D
LD
Schulenberg
John E
JE
Lantz
Paula
P
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior / Q000208:ethnology; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009752:Nutritional Status; D044469:Racial Groups; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult
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