Fat Cats Living Up to Their Name?

Affluent Americans may possess certain advantages over lower-income Americans, but it appears that the scales are becoming more balanced in respect to their obesity. An obesity study made headlines last week with the finding that affluent Americans are catching up with lower-income Americans in the percentage who are overweight. Relying on decades of government data, the study found that obesity has become more prevalent at all income levels since the 1970s, but the increase has been especially pronounced among upper-income Americans.

According to the study's lead author, Dr. Jennifer Robinson, just 9.7% of people with incomes above $60,000 were obese in the 1970s; that figure grew to 26.8% in 2002. As a result, the rate of obesity among affluent Americans is now nearly as high as it is among the poor (32.5% were obese in 2002, up from 22.5% in the early 1970s).

The cause of affluent Americans' growing obesity is not known, but in an interview with The Associated Press, Robinson speculated that longer commutes, growing popularity of restaurants, and possibly longer work hours since the 1970s are playing a role.

The Gallup Poll's annual Health and Healthcare survey provides some further insights into this issue. Aggregated surveys from 2001 to 2003 suggest that weight is a particular problem for older affluents -- those 50 and older living in households earning $75,000 or more. More than half of Americans in this category, 56%, describe themselves as either very overweight or somewhat overweight. This compares with 49% of non-affluents who are 50 and older, and 37% of all younger adults.

The natural suspects when looking for reasons why older Americans would face the biggest battle with weight include diet and physical activity. Gallup's Health and Healthcare survey touches on some of these issues, and the answers can be compared with respondents' self-reported weight status. 

Relatively Healthy Eaters

Eating habits are not an obvious culprit. Although older affluents are much more likely to say they are overweight than are younger affluents, older affluents are slightly more positive about their diet when asked to characterize how healthy it is: 32% say their diet is "very healthy," versus 22% of younger affluents. Older affluents are also somewhat more likely to say they eat healthfully than are non-affluents.

Bring Me the Check…

Older affluents are only slightly above average in their propensity to dine out. When asked about their frequency of eating out at a restaurant in the previous week -- a practice that can sabotage even the most committed dieter -- approximately three-quarters of older affluents say they had dined out at least once. This is similar to the percentage among younger affluents as well as younger non-affluents, though much lower than the percentage among their non-affluent peers. Only 57% of older non-affluents report eating out in the last week.  

Older and younger affluents are also similar in their rates of dining. Both groups eat out an average of 1.6 times per week. This is similar to the rate of eating out among younger non-affluents (1.5 times per week), but higher than older non-affluents (1.1 times per week).

Among Society's Heavier Drinkers

Alternatively, older affluents' weight problems could stem from happy hour, not dinner. Gallup finds that older affluents are among society's heavier drinkers. They are much more likely than older non-affluents to use alcohol: 74% vs. 49%. And, they drink more often than younger affluents. When asked if they have had a drink in the past day -- an indicator of drinking frequency -- 45% of older affluents say they had, versus just 30% of younger affluents. 

Less than a third of young affluents and young non-affluents drink frequently, but on average they consume four to five drinks per week. By contrast, nearly half of older affluents drink frequently, and yet they still consume only an average of five drinks per week. 

What this suggests is that younger adults may tend toward binge drinking (multiple drinks per occasion), while older affluents may simply be enjoying a nightly cocktail -- something studies report can be beneficial to one's health, though not necessarily one's waistline.

Active, but Not Enough

MayoClinic.com advises seniors that "exercise is probably the single most important thing you can do to age successfully," and recommends striving for 30 minutes of exercise per day.

What Gallup finds is this:

• A third (33%) of older affluents, similar to 30% of all adults, say they engage in vigorous sports or physical activities three or more times a week. 

• Close to two-thirds (62%) engage in moderate sports or recreation three or more times a week, versus 55% of all adults.

• On the other hand, only a third of older affluents (31%) get a moderate workout on a daily or near daily (five to six times a week) basis. So two-thirds should be doing more to optimize this health benefit.

Bottom Line

The Gallup data produce no easy answers for why affluent Americans and older affluents in particular, are struggling with their weight.

Older affluents report levels of exercise that are at least on par with the national average, they dine out no more frequently than younger affluents, and are the most likely to claim having a healthy diet. They drink regularly, but not to excess. It's possible that the answer to their weight problem is as simple as a slowing metabolic rate, combined with a few hidden diet busters.

In a phone interview last week, Robinson pointed out that the question isn't why are affluents heavy, but what has changed since 1970 to cause more affluents to gain weight relative to the rest of the population. One thing that has changed, according to Robinson, are hidden diet busters, like daily lattes at Starbucks. When it only takes an extra 100 calories per day to pack on 10 pounds in a year, such seemingly benign, though expensive, indulgences -- could easily explain a lot.

*These results are based on aggregated Gallup surveys spanning 2001-2003. Each aggregate is based on telephone interviews with approximately 3,000 national adults, aged 18 and older. Depending on the specific question (and how many years out of the three it was asked), the number of older affluents looked at in this analysis ranges from 106 to 293.