title: Socioeconomic Status and the Trajectory of Body Mass Index Among Older Japanese: A Nationwide Cohort Study of 1987-2006.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This research analyzed the body mass index (BMI) level and rate of change, and their association with socioeconomic status among older Japanese adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data came from a national sample of over 4,800 Japanese adults aged 60 and older at baseline, with up to 7 repeated observations over a period of 19 years (1987-2006). Hierarchical linear modeling was used to analyze the intrapersonal and interpersonal differences in BMI.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Average BMI among older Japanese was 22.26 at baseline and decreased with an accelerating rate over time. Relative to those with less education, BMI among older Japanese with more education was lower and it declined linearly at a faster rate over time. In contrast, higher household income at baseline was associated with a higher level of BMI but similar rates of decline over time. Furthermore, we found no evidence for age variations in the SES-BMI linkage as predicted by prior investigators.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings provide new insights into the complex relationship between socioeconomic factors and BMI, and help to inform the design of health policies and interventions related to weight control among older adults with diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Management and Policy, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Research Team for Social Participation and Community Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, Japan. murayama@tmig.or.jp.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Murayama
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Management and Policy, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
authors.forename: Jersey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Management and Policy, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
authors.forename: Joan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Policy, Management and Behavior, School of Public Health, State University of New York at Albany, Rensselaer.
authors.forename: Benjamin A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Shaw
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Sciences, University of Michigan-Dearborn, Dearborn, Michigan. Department of Internal Medicine/Geriatrics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.
authors.forename: Anda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Botoseneanu
authors.affiliation: Research Team for Social Participation and Community Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.affiliation: Research Team for Social Participation and Community Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Taro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fukaya
authors.affiliation: Research Team for Social Participation and Community Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Shoji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shinkai
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D044466:Asian People; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008875:Middle Aged; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
keywords: Aging; Body mass index; Hierarchical linear modeling; Japan; Socioeconomic status.; Trajectory