Chioun Lee1, Soojin Park2. 1. Department of Sociology, University of California-Riverside. 2. Graduate School of Education, University of California-Riverside.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Socioeconomic status (SES) is among the strongest determinants of body mass index (BMI), particularly for women. For older populations, selection bias due to attrition is a large barrier to assessing the accumulation of inequality. Under multiple missing data mechanisms, we investigated the extent to which childhood and midlife SES affects BMI from midlife to old age and gender differences in the association. METHOD: Data come from a longitudinal national study of 2,345 U.S. adults aged 40-54 at baseline. We used latent growth models to estimate BMI trajectory over a period of 20 years. We examined results under different missing data patterns and applied methods that account for nonrandom-selection bias. RESULTS: Compared with individuals who had higher childhood SES, individuals who had lower childhood SES have higher BMI in midlife and experience a faster increase in BMI between midlife and old age. The observed associations remain significant even after controlling for midlife SES. After addressing nonrandom selection, the gap in BMI between high and low childhood SES widens from midlife to old age for women. DISCUSSION: The findings provide new evidence of cumulative inequality among older adults, documenting increasing BMI inequality from midlife to old age, particularly for women from low-SES families.
OBJECTIVES: Socioeconomic status (SES) is among the strongest determinants of body mass index (BMI), particularly for women. For older populations, selection bias due to attrition is a large barrier to assessing the accumulation of inequality. Under multiple missing data mechanisms, we investigated the extent to which childhood and midlife SES affects BMI from midlife to old age and gender differences in the association. METHOD: Data come from a longitudinal national study of 2,345 U.S. adults aged 40-54 at baseline. We used latent growth models to estimate BMI trajectory over a period of 20 years. We examined results under different missing data patterns and applied methods that account for nonrandom-selection bias. RESULTS: Compared with individuals who had higher childhood SES, individuals who had lower childhood SES have higher BMI in midlife and experience a faster increase in BMI between midlife and old age. The observed associations remain significant even after controlling for midlife SES. After addressing nonrandom selection, the gap in BMI between high and low childhood SES widens from midlife to old age for women. DISCUSSION: The findings provide new evidence of cumulative inequality among older adults, documenting increasing BMI inequality from midlife to old age, particularly for women from low-SES families.
Authors: Yi Zhe Wang; Wei Zhao; Farah Ammous; Yanyi Song; Jiacong Du; Lulu Shang; Scott M Ratliff; Kari Moore; Kristen M Kelly; Belinda L Needham; Ana V Diez Roux; Yongmei Liu; Kenneth R Butler; Sharon L R Kardia; Bhramar Mukherjee; Xiang Zhou; Jennifer A Smith Journal: Front Cardiovasc Med Date: 2022-05-19
Authors: Yang Claire Yang; Christine E Walsh; Moira P Johnson; Daniel W Belsky; Max Reason; Patrick Curran; Allison E Aiello; Marianne Chanti-Ketterl; Kathleen Mullan Harris Journal: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A Date: 2021-04-27 Impact factor: 11.205