The 10-year incidence of obesity and major weight gain in black and white US women aged 30-55 y

Article Abstract:

It is well established that obesity is associated with an increased risk for heart disease. The results of a recent study showed that women between the ages of 30 and 55, with a body mass index (BMI, a measure of obesity calculated as body weight in kilograms divided by height measured in square meters, kg/m2) greater than 29, were three times more likely to develop heart disease than those with a BMI less than 21. In the same study, the women who gained more than 22 pounds after the age of 18 had a 70 to 150 percent increased risk of developing heart disease than the women who gained less than 7 pounds. Other studies have shown that obesity is twice as common in black women as it is in white women. This article describes the results of a study designed to determine differences in patterns of weight gain and the incidence of obesity in 2,976 white and 535 black women between the ages of 30 and 55. Data on the 10-year incidence of weight gain and obesity were obtained from the First National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Epidemiologic Follow-up Study. Major weight gain was defined as an increase in body weight greater than 22 pounds, and obesity was defined as a BMI greater than 29 kg/m2. Sixteen percent of the black women in this study were obese, and 10 percent of the white women were obese. Black women who were not obese at the beginning of the study were 60 percent more likely to become obese than white women. Over the 10-year study period, 17 percent of the black women gained more than 22 pounds, while 12 percent of the white women gained more than 22 pounds. Based on these results, it is estimated that obesity accounts for 35 percent of the cases of heart disease among black women, and 21 percent of the cases of heart disease among white women. Major weight gain is implicated in heart disease in 16 percent of black women, and in 12 percent white women. It is concluded that the incidence of heart disease can be reduced by preventing major weight gain and obesity. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Health aspects, Risk factors, Overweight persons, Weight gain

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Is race associated with weight change in US adults after adjustment for income, education, and marital factors?

Article Abstract:

Previous studies have reported that the incidence of obesity is increasing among black women living in the US, and that obesity is more common among black women than among white women. This article describes the changes in body weight that took place over a 10-year period among black and white adults between the ages of 25 and 44. Also, the relationships between changes in body weight and economic status, education level, and marital status were determined. The study included 2,770 white women, 514 black women, 1,402 white men, and 150 black men. Over the 10-year study period, black women experienced a greater increase in body weight than white women, white men, or black men. Major weight gain (MWG) and major weight loss (MWL) were more common among black women than white women. The amount of weight gained and the rates of MWG and MWL were similar in black and white men. For both men and women, MWG was more common for those who were already overweight than for those who were of normal weight at the beginning of the study period. Married men and women had the highest rate of MWG and the lowest rate of MWL. Low income women and men had higher rates of MWG than those with a higher income. Those who did not attend school past the 12th grade had a greater increase in body weight than those who attended college. Based on these observations, it is concluded that weight gain over a 10-year period is associated with low income, less education, and marriage. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Behavior, Women, Black, Black women, White women

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The 10-year incidence of overweight and major weight gain in US adults

Article Abstract:

The incidence of weight gain in American adults over a 10-year period was estimated by examining records of the First National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Epidemiologic Follow-up Study. The study consisted of 3,727 men and 6,135 women, ranging in age from 25 years to 74 years, who were reweighed a decade after their initial visit. The incidence of major weight gain was 8.4 percent in women and 3.9 percent in men, and was greatest between the ages of 25 and 34 years. The highest incidence of weight gain, 14.2 percent, occurred in women, aged 25 to 44 years, who were initially overweight. For 2,760 men and 4,295 women, who were not overweight at the start of the study, the incidence of becoming overweight was similar for both men and women and was highest in subjects aged 35 to 44 years. The results suggest that prevention of obesity should begin in the early twenties, and is particularly important in young women who are already overweight. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Measurement, Prevention, Body weight

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