Survival expectations of the obese: Is excess mortality reflected in perceptions?
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study compared self-reported subjective life expectancy (i.e., probability
of living to age 75) for normal-weight, overweight, and obese weight groups to examine
whether individuals are internalizing information about the health risks due to excessive
weight. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Using data from the Health and Retirement
Study, a total of 9035 individuals 51 to 61 years old were analyzed by BMI category.
The primary outcome measure was individuals' reports about their own expectations
of survival to age 75. Absolute and relative risks of survival were compared with
published estimates of survival to age 75. RESULTS: Consistently, higher levels of
BMI were associated with lower self-estimated survival probabilities. Differences
relative to normal weight ranged from 4.9% (p < 0.01) for male nonsmokers to 8.8%
(p < 0.001) for female nonsmokers. However, these differences were substantially less
than those obtained from published survival curve estimates, suggesting that obese
individuals tended to underestimate mortality risks. DISCUSSION: Individuals appeared
to underestimate the mortality risks of excessive weight; thus, knowledge campaigns
about the risks of obesity should remain a top priority.
Type
Journal articleSubject
AgedBody Mass Index
Body Weight
Diabetes Mellitus
Female
Health Surveys
Humans
Hypertension
Male
Obesity
Perception
Retirement
Smoking
Surveys and Questionnaires
Survival Rate
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/2624Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1038/oby.2005.85Publication Info
Falba, TA; & Busch, SH (2005). Survival expectations of the obese: Is excess mortality reflected in perceptions?.
Obes Res, 13(4). pp. 754-761. 10.1038/oby.2005.85. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/2624.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Tracy Falba
Visiting Assistant Professor of Economics
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