EFFECT OF OBESITY ON ACTIVE LIFE EXPECTANCY IN THE UNITED STATES: CHANGES OVER TIME

Abstract

In recent decades, life expectancy increase has slowed in the United States. Also, there have been striking increases in the prevalence of obesity, decreases in the age of obesity onset, and increases in the length of time people are living with obesity. In addition, the link between obesity and mortality appears to have weakened in more recent years. These trends indicate value in revisiting the links between obesity and active life expectancy. Building on earlier work using HRS data from 1993 to 1998 for the 70 plus population in the United States, we use HRS data from 2004 through 2008 to examine how the links between obesity, mortality, disability and subsequent active life expectancy have changed. We find that in the later cohort obesity is less related to mortality, more to disability, and remains a strong determinant of active life.