Table 3.
Risk ratios for obesity in 2009 by parental, current, and lifecourse education
| Risk Ratio (95% CI) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parental and current education modeled separately | ||||
| Prevalence of obesity* (%) |
Model 1* | Model 2† | Model 3‡ | |
| Parental education | ||||
| <HS | 51.0 | 1.44 (1.32-1.57) | 1.41 (1.29-1.55) | 1.37 (1.25-1.50) |
| HS | 46.6 | 1.25 (1.16-1.35) | 1.23 (1.14-1.33) | 1.21 (1.12-1.30) |
| Some college or voc. | 44.8 | 1.19 (1.10-1.28) | 1.17 (1.08-1.26) | 1.15 (1.06-1.24) |
| College graduate | 40.3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Current education | ||||
| <HS,HS | 56.3 | 1.75 (1.57-1.95) | 1.76 (1.58-1.97) | 1.67 (1.50-1.87) |
| Some college | 52.9 | 1.58 (1.48-1.68) | 1.57 (1.47-1.67) | 1.49 (1.39-1.59) |
| College graduate | 41.2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Parental and current education modeled together | ||||
| Parental education | ||||
| <HS | 51.0 | 1.29 (1.18-1.41) | 1.29 (1.17-1.41) | 1.23 (1.12-1.35) |
| HS | 46.6 | 1.14 (1.06-1.23) | 1.15 (1.07-1.24) | 1.12 (1.04-1.21) |
| Some college or voc. | 44.8 | 1.13 (1.05-1.22) | 1.13 (1.05-1.21) | 1.10 (1.02-1.18) |
| College graduate | 40.3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Current education | ||||
| <HS,HS | 56.3 | 1.80 (1.53-2.63) | 1.81 (1.62-2.03) | 1.66 (1.48-1.87) |
| Some college | 52.9 | 1.54 (1.44-1.64) | 1.55 (1.45-1.66) | 1.48 (1.38-1.58) |
| College graduate | 41.2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
Model 1 adjusted for age
Model 2 additionally adjusted for childhood factors: mother’s age at birth (<20, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40+, missing), prematurity (yes, no, unknown), twin or triplet (yes, no, unknown), breastfed (yes, no, unknown), fed soy formula (yes, no, unknown), number of children in the home, birth order (youngest, middle, oldest), mother smoked when pregnant (yes, no, unknown), exposure to secondhand smoke in the home as a child (up to age 11) (yes, no), felt danger in the home as a child (<4, 4+ times), felt danger in the neighborhood as a child (<4, 4+ times), and region of birth (northeast, south, west, midwest, other).
Model 3 additionally adjusted for adult factors: alcohol consumption (<1, 1-6, 2-13, 14+drinks/wk, missing), smoking status (current, ex, never), vigorous exercise (<3, 3+hrs/wk), walking for exercise (<3, 3+ hrs/week), energy intake (quintiles) and Recommended Food Score (quintiles).