The Waning Association between Education and Weight at Higher Levels of Weight

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

Abstract

Most research on the relationship between education and weight assumes that the strength of the association is constant across all levels of weight, yet there are good reasons to question this assumption on sociological and biological grounds. This research tests whether the association between education and weight differs by level of weight. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study (2006-2008), technician measured height and weight data from 13,419 individuals are analyzed using continuation-ratio models. Results suggest that the association between education and weight is strongest at lower levels of weight. Among females, education is significantly associated with a reduced likelihood of advancing to a higher weight among normal weight individuals (β1=-0.07, p<.01) and overweight individuals (β2=-0.02, p<.05) but not obese individuals (β3=-0.01, p=0.52). Among males, education is significantly associated with a reduced likelihood of advancing to a higher weight among overweight individuals (β2=-0.04, p<.01), but not normal weight individuals (β1=-0.02, p=0.07) or obese individuals (β3=-0.02, p=.18). This research suggests that the relationship between education and weight is more nuanced than is typically assumed in the literature.

Authors

• Gregory Michael Pavela, University of Alabama-Birmingham

• Joseph Daniel Wolfe, University of Alabama-Birmingham