Can the influence of childhood socioeconomic status on men’s and women’s adult body mass be explained by adult socioeconomic status or personality? Findings from a national sample.

Abstract

Objectives-Based on a life-course risk-chain framework, we examined whether (1) residual associations between childhood SES and adult obesity and BMI would be observed in women, but not men after adjusting for adult SES; (2) adult Big Five personality traits would be associated with adult body mass in both genders, and (3) personality would explain unique variation in outcomes beyond child and adult SES. Design-National survey (Midlife Development in the US study; N = 2922). Main Outcome Measures-BMI and obesity.Results-(1) in both genders, association between childhood SES and adult obesity were accounted for entirely by adult SES, but its effect on adult BMI was observed only in women. (2) Higher Conscientiousness was associated with lower obesity prevalence and BMI in both genders, though more strongly in women. In men, greater obesity prevalence was associated with higher Agreeableness and Neuroticism. (3) Personality explained unique outcome variation in both genders.Conclusions-Early social disadvantage may affect adult weight status more strongly in women owing to gender differences in the timing and nature of weight-management socialization. Personality may enhance or detract from risks incurred by childhood or adulthood SES in either gender, necessitating the consideration of dispositional differences in prevention and intervention programs. KeywordsObesity; BMI; socioeconomic status; personality; gender differences; Midlife Development in the US Obesity is a major public health problem in industrialized societies (Cope & Allison, 2006;McLaren, 2007), resulting in levels of morbidity nearly comparable to smoking and poverty (Sturm & Wells, 2001). Although the direction and strength of social gradients in obesity may vary depending a country's level of industrialization and age cohort, in many countries, Phone: 585-275-9431 Fax: 585-273-1082 Email: Benjamin_chapman@urmc.rochester.edu. Publisher's Disclaimer: The following manuscript is the final accepted manuscript. It has not been subjected to the final copyediting, fact-checking, and proofreading required for formal publication. It is not the definitive, publisher-authenticated version. The American Psychological Association and its Council of Editors disclaim any responsibility or liabilities for errors or omissions of this manuscript version, any version derived from this manuscript by NIH, or other third parties. The published version is available at http://www.apa.org/journals/hea/ NIH Public Access (McLaren, 2007;van der Horst et al., 2007) and endure through adulthood. Importantly, individuals born into higher childhood socioeconomic status (SES) show lower rates of adult obesity (SarlioLahteenkorva, 2007). A major question, however, is whether associations between lower childhood SES and adult obesity can be explained by adult SES (Drewnowski & Specter, 2004;Klohe-Lehman et al., 2006). If the effects of childhood SES on adult weight status are mediated entirely through adult SES, then prevention and intervention resources altering the ...

Posição socioeconômica no curso de vida e comportamentos de risco relacionados à saúde: ELSA-Brasil

“…Todas as análises foram conduzidas separadamente para homens e mulheres, já que estudos prévios apontam diferenças de gênero nas associações investigadas 16,19 . Foi realizada a descrição da população do trabalho por meio de proporções.…”

“…Não podemos afirmar com esses achados, mas é possível que a escolaridade materna tenha maior relevância para os comportamentos de saúde entre as mulheres do que entre os homens. Por exemplo, Chapman et al 19 observaram que parte da associação entre posição socioeconômica na infância e a ganho de peso na vida adulta foi parcialmente mediada pela posição socioeconômica na vida adulta em mulheres, e completamente mediada pela posição socioeconômica na vida adulta nos homens.…”

“…As associações entre a posição socioeconômica no curso da vida e comportamentos também podem variar segundo gênero 19 . Estudos sugerem que a posição socioeconômica na infância tende a ser mais importante na determinação dos comportamentos em mulheres, já a posição socioeconômica na vida adulta seria mais relevante para os homens 14,16 , mas as evidências quanto a diferenças por gênero nestas associações ainda são escassas e inconsistentes.…”

Personality and metabolic syndrome

“…For example, impulsive individuals tend to have larger waistlines (Sullivan et al 2007;Terracciano et al 2009), higher levels of triglycerides (Sutin et al 2010b), and are more likely to have hypertension . In contrast, conscientious individuals tend to be leaner (Chapman et al 2009;Roehling et al 2008;Terracciano et al 2009), have lower triglycerides and higher HDL cholesterol (Sutin et al 2010b), and are less likely to have hypertension (Goodwin and Friedman 2006). Previous research has linked psychological factors to the development and progression of metabolic syndrome (see Goldbacher and Matthews 2007 for a review).…”

Psychosocial work dimensions, personality, and body mass index: Sex differences

“…Besides, different personality traits have been associated with BMI: a positive relation of neuroticism and extraversion for females and males, respectively, and a negative relation with agreeableness and conscientiousness for both males and females [15,22]. In addition, impulsiveness and conscientiousness (low self-discipline) have also been positively and negatively related to BMI [20,23]. To sum up, higher BMI levels have been related to increased neuroticism in women and to increased extraversion and psychoticism in men.…”