How Much Do Health-Related Behaviors Explain the Relationship between Poverty and Obesity among Mothers?

• In Event: 343 - Section on Medical Sociology Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 14. Weight, Obesity, and Health

Abstract

The high prevalence of obesity in the U.S. is a significant concern for health and social scientists. Low-income women seem to be at a particularly high risk of becoming obese. One explanation for this phenomenon derives from the gendered division of childrearing responsibilities within American families: When faced with poverty-related constraints on the types and amounts of food they can buy, mothers may develop rationing strategies that benefit their children’s health at the expense of their own. Long work hours and high stress levels may be additional factors contributing to obesity among low-income women, especially mothers. In the current study, we use data from the American Time Use Survey and Consumer Expenditure Survey to 1) replicate past findings of a link between the intersection of poverty and motherhood and the risk for obesity, and 2) investigate the extent to which this link is explained by measures of day and nighttime health behaviors, including physical activity, food purchasing patterns, and sleep.

Authors

• Margaret Michele Gough, University of La Verne

• Adam Matthew Lippert, Harvard University