Marital status, marital transitions, and body weight.
We consider how marital status and marital transitions, important features of the social environment, influence weight change over time, and how these effects vary by age, race, and gender. Growth curve analysis of a four-wave national survey suggests that marital transitions are more important than marital status in predicting change in body weight, and that marital dissolution is more important than marital formation in affecting weight. Widowhood effects on weight loss are a particular concern for population health trends, especially among African Americans.
Umberson
Debra
D
University of Texas at Austin, Department of Sociology, Austin, TX 78712, USA. umberson@prc.utexas.edu
Liu
Hui
H
Powers
Daniel
D
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D008393:Marriage; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult