Table 4.
Difference in mean weight change between age 18 and 2009 and risk ratios for obesity by lifecourse education
| Mean difference in weight gain | Relative risk of obesity | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lifecourse Education (parental/current education) |
N (%) | (kg) (95% CI)* | % obese | RR (95% CI)* |
| Parental and current education the same (34.6%) | ||||
| College grad / college grad | 4977 (23.2) |
0 (reference) | 37.7 | 1.0 (reference) |
| ≤HS / ≤HS | 1020 (4.8) |
4.53 (3.40-5.65) | 57.8 | 1.86 (1.60-2.16) |
| Some college / some college | 1405 (6.6) |
4.60 (3.63-5.55) | 51.4 | 1.57 (1.38-1.78) |
| Parental education lower than current education (59.1%) | ||||
| ≤HS / some college | 2821 (13.1) |
3.99 (3.21-4.77) | 53.8 | 1.61 (1.43-1.81) |
| ≤HS / college grad | 5778 (26.9) |
1.54 (0.91-2.18) | 43.8 | 1.06 (0.96-1.18) |
| Some college / college grad | 4110 (19.1) |
1.13 (0.47-1.80) | 42.0 | 1.04 (0.93-1.16) |
| Parental education higher than current education (6.3%) | ||||
| College grad / ≤HS | 154 (0.7) |
1.63 (-0.96-4.22) | 53.9 | 1.63 (1.16-2.28) |
| Some college / ≤HS | 250 (1.2) |
4.34 (2.29-6.38) | 56.4 | 1.75 (1.33-2.30) |
| College grad / some college | 942 (4.4) |
4.56 (3.44-5.68) | 52.6 | 1.52 (1.28-1.81) |
Adjusted for age, 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), 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). Weight change additionally adjusted for height.