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Related Experiment Videos

Marital status changes and body weight changes: a US longitudinal analysis.

Jeffery Sobal1, Barbara Rauschenbach, Edward A Frongillo

  • 1Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, MVR Hall, 14853, Ithaca, NY, USA. js57@cornell.edu

Social Science & Medicine (1982)
|March 5, 2003
PubMed
Summary

Changes in marital status significantly impact body weight. Women who marry gain weight, while men who remain divorced or become widowed lose weight, highlighting the influence of social roles on physical health.

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Area of Science:

  • Sociology
  • Health Sciences
  • Demography

Background:

  • Spousal roles are linked to improved health outcomes.
  • Marital status dynamics (marriage, dissolution, widowhood) influence health.
  • The relationship between body weight and marital status is complex.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the association between changes in marital status and body weight.
  • To investigate gender-specific effects of marital transitions on body weight.
  • To identify sociodemographic predictors of weight change related to marital status.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of data from 9043 adults in the US National Health and Nutrition Epidemiological Follow-up Survey (NHEFS).
  • Longitudinal study design with baseline assessment and follow-up approximately 10 years later.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Examination of marital status changes (stable marriage, entry, dissolution, widowhood) and associated body weight changes.

    • Main Results:

    • Women who transitioned from unmarried to married experienced greater weight change compared to continuously married women.
    • Sociodemographic factors, including marital change, were more predictive of weight loss than weight gain.
    • Unmarried women who married gained more weight; divorced/separated or widowed men lost more weight than continuously married men.

    Conclusions:

    • Changes in social roles, such as marriage or widowhood, significantly influence body weight.
    • Marital transitions have differential effects on body weight for men and women.
    • Understanding marital dynamics is crucial for public health and weight management strategies.