Money is no protection against extra pounds, researchers say
By Randy Dotinga
HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, May 2 (HealthDay News) -- Higher-income Americans have rapidly packed on the pounds over the past three decades, new research released Monday claims.
Researchers found that 26.8 percent of Americans whose families made $60,000 annually in 2001 and 2002 were obese, nearly a threefold increase since the early 1970s.
In contrast, the percentage of obese individuals in lower-income families making $25,000 or less only rose from 22.5 percent to 32.5 percent during the same time period.
What's going on here?
"We don't know," said study co-author Dr. Jennifer G. Robinson, associate professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of Iowa. "This is a very surprising finding. It simply makes it clear that the obesity epidemic is a very complex phenomenon."
Robinson and colleagues gathered statistics collected from Americans aged 20 and older in national studies from 1971-1974 and 2001-2002. They examined the income of the participants and their body mass index, a measurement of whether a person's height and weight are proportionate.
The findings were scheduled to be released Monday at the American Heart Association's annual conference on cardiovascular disease, epidemiology and prevention in Washington D.C.
The researchers looked specifically at people considered to be obese -- a step above simply overweight -- because their body-mass index is 30 or above. A 5-foot-9 person would need to weigh 203 or more pounds to be reach that level; a 6-foot tall person would need to weigh at least 221. And someone who's 5-foot-5 would need to weigh 180 pounds or more.
The greatest increase in the rate of obesity -- 2.76 times -- came in those whose families made more than $60,000, adjusted to 2000 dollars. Their obesity level grew from 9.7 percent to 26.8 percent.
The obesity level in people whose families made $25,000-$60,000 grew by 1.94-2.09 times.
The study findings conflict with the common assumption that obesity is a much larger problem for the poor. But it's not clear that the same factors blamed for obesity in the poor -- including fast food and lack of access to healthy foods -- affect higher incomes as well, the researchers said.
"When we come up with solutions, they need to be tailored to the specific groups," Robinson said. "It's not necessarily going to be one-size-fits-all."
There are theories about why those with higher incomes are getting fatter at a fast clip. They might be eating out more or getting less exercise, speculated Cynthia Sass, a Tampa dietician and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.
Regardless of the reasons for the rise in obesity, the cure is the same: eat fewer calories and exercise more to burn them off.
"Even if you have an extra 100 calories a day above what you need, you'd gain 10 pounds in a year," Sass said. "If you have 300 more calories, it's 30 pounds."
SOURCES: Jennifer G. Robinson, M.D., M.P.H., associate professor, medicine and epidemiology, University of Iowa, Iowa City.; Cynthia Sass, R.D., M.P.H., dietician and spokeswoman, American Dietetic Association, Tampa, Fla.: May 2, 2005, presentation, American Heart Association, annual conference on cardiovascular disease dpidemiology and prevention, Washington D.C.
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