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Survival expectations of the obese: Is excess mortality reflected in perceptions?

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Date
2005-04
Authors
Falba, TA
Busch, SH
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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 article
Subject
Aged
Body Mass Index
Body Weight
Diabetes Mellitus
Female
Health Surveys
Humans
Hypertension
Male
Obesity
Perception
Retirement
Smoking
Surveys and Questionnaires
Survival Rate
Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/2624
Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1038/oby.2005.85
Publication 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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Scholars@Duke

Tracy Falba

Visiting Assistant Professor of Economics
This author no longer has a Scholars@Duke profile, so the information shown here reflects their Duke status at the time this item was deposited.
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