Weight Loss and Economic Activity in the 1970 British Cohort Study

Charis Bridger Staatz , University College London
Laura Gimeno, UCL
Demelza Smeeth, UCL
Nishi Chaturvedi, UCL
George Ploubidis, UCL

Background: Economic inactivity and obesity are both public health and policy concerns. Despite growing interest in weight-loss medication, little evidence exists on whether weight loss in midlife is associated with reduced economic inactivity. Methods: Using data from the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70), we applied lagged multinomial logistic regression to imputed data representing the target population (N=16,749). Models adjusted for a broad range of sociodemographic and health variables across life. Weight change was defined at ages 46 and 51–54 relative to the highest body mass index (BMI) recorded between ages 26 and 42. Results: Between ages 46 and 51–54, 4% of the population lost more than 5% of body weight from a previously obese BMI. In comparison, 19% maintained a healthy BMI, 39% maintained overweight, and 38% maintained, gained obesity, or cycled within obesity. Individuals who lost weight were more socioeconomically and physically disadvantaged across the life course. In unadjusted models, weight loss, weight gain, maintaining obesity, and weight cycling were all associated with higher risk of health-related economic inactivity compared with maintaining a healthy weight. After full adjustment, only the weight-gain group remained significantly associated (RRR = 1.69, 95% CI 1.08–2.63). Conclusions: Weight loss in later midlife did not offset the long-term effects of socioeconomic disadvantage and sustained obesity. By contrast, continued weight gain, affecting almost one-fifth of adults, was linked to an increased risk of becoming economically inactive due to health reasons, underscoring the importance of preventing further weight gain in midlife.

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 Presented in Session 49. Health and Economic Outcomes