Weight gain trends across sociodemographic groups in the United States

To better understand health disparities, we compared US weight gain trends across sociodemographic groups between 1986 and 2002.

We analyzed mean and 80th-percentile body mass index (BMI), calculated from self-reported weight and height, for subpopulations defined by education, relative income, race/ethnicity, and gender. Data were from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a random-digit-dialed telephone survey (total sample=1.88 million adult respondents).

Each sociodemographic group experienced generally similar weight gains. We found no statistically significant difference in increase in mean BMI by educational attainment, except that individuals with a college degree gained less weight than did others. The lowest-income group gained as much weight on average as the highest-income group, but lowest-income heavier individuals (80th percentile of BMI) gained weight faster than highest-income heavier individuals. We found no differences across racial/ethnic groups except that non-Hispanic Blacks gained more weight than other groups. Women gained more weight than men.

We found fewer differences, especially by relative income and education, in weight gain across subpopulations than we had expected. Women and non-Hispanic Blacks gained weight faster than other groups.