Concern about the adolescent obesity epidemic in the United States largely rises from the health consequences of overweight, i.e., its connections to diabetes, heart disease, and other medical conditions. Overweight, however, also has other effects on individual lives that are not well-studied or understood. Further, many of the causes of overweight must have to do with social and behavioral variables as well. That is, the population has not genetically transformed in the past several years to become more inclined to be overweight. Instead individual's behaviors and environments have led to the activation of genes that may lead to a greater incidence of both adolescent and adult overweight. Consequently, it is important to do more research on the social and behavioral causes and consequences of overweight throughout the life course in order to get a better understanding of the dimensions of this major public health problem. In this proposal we use data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health to investigate these issues.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
1R01HD050144-01
Application #
6901750
Study Section
Social Sciences and Population Studies Study Section (SSPS)
Program Officer
King, Rosalind B
Project Start
2005-06-06
Project End
2008-05-31
Budget Start
2005-06-06
Budget End
2006-05-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2005
Total Cost
$219,398
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Wisconsin Madison
Department
Social Sciences
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
161202122
City
Madison
State
WI
Country
United States
Zip Code
53715
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Martin, Molly A; Lippert, Adam M (2012) Feeding her children, but risking her health: the intersection of gender, household food insecurity and obesity. Soc Sci Med 74:1754-64
Frisco, Michelle L; Weden, Margaret M; Lippert, Adam M et al. (2012) The multidimensional relationship between early adult body weight and women's childbearing experiences. Soc Sci Med 74:1703-11
Morgan, Paul L; Frisco, Michelle; Farkas, George et al. (2010) A Propensity Score Matching Analysis of the Effects of Special Education Services. J Spec Educ 43:236-254
Martin, Molly A; May, Ashleigh L; Frisco, Michelle L (2010) Equal weights but different weight perceptions among US adolescents. J Health Psychol 15:493-504
Frisco, Michelle L; Houle, Jason N; Martin, Molly A (2010) The image in the mirror and the number on the scale: weight, weight perceptions, and adolescent depressive symptoms. J Health Soc Behav 51:215-28
Martin, Molly A; Frisco, Michelle L; May, Ashleigh L (2009) Gender and race/ethnic differences in inaccurate weight perceptions among U.S. adolescents. Womens Health Issues 19:292-9
Frisco, Michelle L; Houle, Jason N; Martin, Molly A (2009) Adolescent Weight and Depressive Symptoms: For Whom is Weight a Burden? Soc Sci Q 90:1019-1038
Martin, Molly A (2008) The intergenerational correlation in weight: how genetic resemblance reveals the social role of families. AJS 114 Suppl:S67-105