HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: AJPH.2004.060418v1 95/9/1607    most recent Submit a response View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (15) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Leveille, S. G. Articles by Iezzoni, L. I. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Leveille, S. G. Articles by Iezzoni, L. I. Related Collections Aging Other Chronic Disease Epidemiology Obesity, Overweight, Underweight Surveys

Suzanne G. Leveille, PhD, Christina C. Wee, MD, MPH and Lisa I. Iezzoni, MD, MSc

The authors are with the Division of General Medicine and Primary Care, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and the Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Suzanne G. Leveille, PhD, Division of General Medicine and Primary Care, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Ave, RO-103, Boston, MA 02215 (e-mail: sleveill{at}bidmc.harvard.edu).

Objectives. We examined trends in obesity and arthritis prevalence among the "baby boom" (born 1946–1965) and "silent" (born 1926–1945) generations.

Methods. We conducted birth cohort analyses using successive waves of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1971–2002).

Results. Obesity rates increased markedly, beginning earlier in life with each successive birth cohort. When the members of the silent generation were aged 35–44 years, 14%–18% were obese. At comparable ages, 28%–32% of the youngest baby boomers were obese. Differences in arthritis prevalence were not evident across birth cohorts. However, the relative risk of arthritis because of obesity increased over time; consequently, the percentage of arthritis cases attributable to obesity increased from 3% to 18% between 1971 and 2002.

Conclusions. Our results showed that members of the baby boom generation were more obese, and became so at younger ages than their predecessors. Although differences in arthritis prevalence are not yet evident, findings suggest that obesity has contributed to more cases of arthritis in recent years than in previous decades.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D. E. Alley, B. J. Soldo, J. A. Pagan, J. McCabe, M. deBlois, S. H. Field, D. A. Asch, and C. Cannuscio Material Resources and Population Health: Disadvantages in Health Care, Housing, and Food Among Adults Over 50 Years of Age Am J Public Health, November 1, 2009; 99(S3): S693 - S701. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. W. J. H. Penninx, B. J. Nicklas, A. B. Newman, T. B. Harris, B. H. Goodpaster, S. Satterfield, N. de Rekeneire, K. Yaffe, M. Pahor, S. B. Kritchevsky, et al. Metabolic Syndrome and Physical Decline in Older Persons: Results from the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci, January 27, 2009; (2009) gln005v2. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. W. Gregg and J. M. Guralnik Is Disability Obesity's Price of Longevity? JAMA, November 7, 2007; 298(17): 2066 - 2067. [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. Chen, P. Cohen, and S. Kasen Cohort Differences in Self-Rated Health: Evidence from a Three-Decade, Community-Based, Longitudinal Study of Women Am. J. Epidemiol., August 15, 2007; 166(4): 439 - 446. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. F. Adams, A. Schatzkin, T. B. Harris, V. Kipnis, T. Mouw, R. Ballard-Barbash, A. Hollenbeck, and M. F. Leitzmann Overweight, Obesity, and Mortality in a Large Prospective Cohort of Persons 50 to 71 Years Old N. Engl. J. Med., August 24, 2006; 355(8): 763 - 778. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. A. Bennett Secular Trends in Stroke Incidence and Survival, and the Occurrence of Dementia Stroke, May 1, 2006; 37(5): 1144 - 1145. [Full Text] [PDF]

				Obesity Blame Game DOC News, March 1, 2006; 3(3): 20 - 20. [Full Text]

				K. M. Flegal, D. F. Williamson, and B. I. Graubard USING ADJUSTED RELATIVE RISKS TO CALCULATE ATTRIBUTABLE FRACTIONS Am J Public Health, March 1, 2006; 96(3): 398 - 398. [Full Text] [PDF]