Related Experiment Videos
Marital status, fatness and obesity
J Sobal1, B S Rauschenbach, E A Frongillo
1Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853.
Social Science & Medicine (1982)
|October 11, 1992
Summary
Marriage is linked to higher obesity rates in men, but not women. This study explored how marital status affects body weight and obesity risk in adults.
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Public Health
- Health Psychology
Background:
- Marital status is associated with health outcomes like morbidity and mortality.
- The link between marital status and obesity is not well understood.
- Role theory proposes marriage may increase or decrease obesity risk.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between marital status and obesity.
- To examine the marital causation model of obesity using a national survey.
- To determine if marital status influences fatness and obesity in adults.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional national telephone survey of 3025 US adults (ages 20-64).
- Sequential regression analyses were used to control for demographic, social, and physical variables.
- Examined fatness and obesity as dependent variables.
Main Results:
- Married men showed significantly higher fatness and obesity rates compared to never-married or previously married men, even after controlling for other factors.
- Marital status was not significantly associated with fatness or obesity in women when controlling for other variables.
- Findings support the marital causation model for men's obesity.
Conclusions:
- The marital role appears to influence fatness and obesity in men.
- Marital status does not significantly impact fatness or obesity in women.
- Further research is needed to understand gender-specific effects of marriage on obesity.