Obesity Among Women In U.S. Becoming More Socially Acceptable, Study Says

Main Category: Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness
Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 10 Aug 2007 - 6:00 PDT

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Obesity among women residing in the U.S. has become more socially acceptable, likely in part because more than one-third of women ages 20 and older are obese, according to a study published in the July issue of Economic Inquiry, the Washington Times reports.

For the study, Frank Heiland, an assistant professor of economics at Florida State University's Center for Demography and Population Health, and Mary Burke, an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, analyzed data from CDC's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The researchers found that the average weight of women between ages 30 and 60 has increased by 20 pounds, or 14%, since 1976. Among women who weigh 300 pounds or more, the increase was 18%, the researchers found.

The researchers also found that self-image has changed and that obesity has become more socially acceptable. According to the study, the average women weighed 147 pounds in 1994 but stated that she wanted to weigh 132 pounds. By 2002, the average women weighed 153 pounds but said she wanted to be 135 pounds, the study found. "The fact that even the desired weight of women has increased suggests there is less social pressure to lose weight," the researchers noted.

According to Heiland, obesity among women is a "social dynamic" that is driven by lower food prices, larger portions, shifts in medical ideals and in what is considered beautiful, and perceptions among women themselves. "Medically speaking, most agree that this trend is a dangerous one because of its connection with diabetes, cancer and other diseases," Heiland said, adding, "But psychologically, it may provide relief to know that you are not the only one packing on the pounds."

In a related study conducted by Harvard Medical School and the University of California-San Diego, researchers found that obesity spreads through social networks, particularly among women, the Times reports (Harper, Washington Times, 8/7). The study, released last month in the New England Journal of Medicine, analyzed 12,067 people who from 1971 to 2003 participated in the Framingham Heart Study. The study found that if a woman's sister or same-sex friend was overweight, her risk of gaining weight increased. A similar association was found among men and their brothers and same-sex friends (Christakis/Fowler, NEJM, 7/26).

An abstract of Heiland's and Burke's study is available online.

The study on obesity and social networks is also available online.

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