Description/Abstract
The rising prevalence of obesity in the United States has focused attention on the health consequences of excess weight. Obesity is linked to many of the major causes of death in the United States, including heart disease, some types of cancer, strokes, diabetes, and atherosclerosis. However, the effects of body size on mortality and health among the elderly are much less clear. This paper extends our current understanding of the relationship between body size and mortality by using two nationally representative, longitudinal datasets of individuals at older ages. These analyses indicate that obesity may not contribute greatly to increased mortality risks after age 70. In fact, obesity may be somewhat protective and lower the risk of death. At younger ages, however, the effects of obesity tend to operate in the opposite direction. Women especially appear to be at greater risk of death in their 50s and 60s if they are overweight.
Document Type
Working Paper
Date
6-2000
Language
English
Series
Aging Studies Program Paper Series
Disciplines
Economic Policy | Economics | Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration | Public Policy
ISSN
1084-1695
Recommended Citation
Himes, Christine L., "Association between Body Size and Mortality in Later Life" (2000). Center for Policy Research. 426.
https://surface.syr.edu/cpr/426
Source
Local Input
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Included in
Economic Policy Commons, Economics Commons, Public Policy Commons
Additional Information
Aging studies program paper no.21