Averett S, Korenman S
Department of Economics and Business, Lafayette College, Easton, PA 18042, USA.
Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 1999 Feb;23(2):166-73. doi: 10.1038/sj.ijo.0800805.
To investigate social and economic effects of obesity for black and white females, and to explore possible explanations for race differences in obesity effects.
1354 non-Hispanic black and 3097 non-Hispanic, non-black, women aged 25-33y in 1990 from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979-1990.
Body mass index (BMI) evaluated at age 17-24y (1982) and 25-33y (1990).
Logistic and linear regression of six labour market and marriage outcomes on early or attained BMI. Detailed controls for family socioeconomic background.
Socioeconomic effects of obesity appear larger for whites than blacks. Obesity is associated with low self-esteem among whites, but not blacks. Differences in self-esteem do not account for race differences in the effects of obesity on socioeconomic status. Lower probability of marriage and lower earnings of husbands among those who marry account for the majority of the income differences between obese white women and those of recommended weight. Occupational differences account for more than one fifth of the effect of obesity on the hourly wages of both white and black women.
Cultural differences may protect black women from the self-esteem loss associated with obesity for whites. However, differences in self-esteem do not account for the effects of obesity on socioeconomic status. Because the effect of obesity on the economic status of white women works primarily through marriage, it may therefore be less amenable to policy intervention to improve the labor market prospects of obese women.
调查肥胖对黑人及白人女性的社会和经济影响，并探究肥胖影响方面种族差异的可能解释。
1979 - 1990年全国青年纵向调查中选取的1354名非西班牙裔黑人女性和3097名非西班牙裔非黑人女性，年龄在25 - 33岁（1990年）。
在17 - 24岁（1982年）和25 - 33岁（1990年）时评估体重指数（BMI）。
对六个劳动力市场和婚姻结局与早期或达到的BMI进行逻辑回归和线性回归。对家庭社会经济背景进行详细控制。
肥胖对白人的社会经济影响似乎比对黑人的影响更大。肥胖与白人的低自尊相关，但与黑人无关。自尊方面的差异并不能解释肥胖对社会经济地位影响的种族差异。肥胖白人女性与体重正常女性之间的收入差异，大部分是由于结婚概率较低以及已婚者丈夫收入较低所致。职业差异在肥胖对白人及黑人女性小时工资的影响中占比超过五分之一。
文化差异可能使黑人女性免受与白人肥胖相关的自尊丧失影响。然而，自尊差异并不能解释肥胖对社会经济地位的影响。由于肥胖对白人女性经济地位的影响主要通过婚姻起作用，因此通过政策干预改善肥胖女性劳动力市场前景可能较难实现。
