@article {9758, title = {Body mass index and mobility limitations: An analysis of middle-aged and older Black, Hispanic, and White women in the U.S.}, journal = {Obesity Research \& Clinical Practice}, volume = {12}, year = {2018}, pages = {547-554}, abstract = {

INTRODUCTION: While the Body Mass Index (BMI) did not change significantly for men from 2005 to 2014 in the United States, women exhibited an upward linear trend. Hispanic and Black women, in particular, showed a dramatic increase. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the association between BMI and mobility limitations for non-institutionalised middle-aged and older Black, Hispanic, and White women.

METHODS: The International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health model was applied to a sample of 2865 Black, 1846 Hispanic, and 9721 White women categorised as middle-aged and older (i.e., at least 50 years of age) from the 2010 and 2014 Rand Health and Retirement Study. A random effects ordered logit was employed.

RESULTS: After accounting for personal/activity characteristics, the analyses revealed Black women with greater BMI were associated with a higher likelihood for mobility limitations with an odds ratio of 1.11 [1.06-1.16, 95\% CI]. A significant association was also found for Hispanic women with an odds ratio of 1.16 [1.11-1.23, 95\% CI] and White women with an odds ratio of 1.16 [1.13-1.19, 95\% CI]. Even after accounting for the possibility of endogeneity, BMI remained robust.

CONCLUSION: Higher-levels of BMI were associated with an increased probability for mobility limitations for Black, Hispanic, and White middle-aged and older women. Those with a vigorous exercise regimen were less likely to be in this category across all ranges of BMI. These results are useful for prioritising minority health policy, particularly given the limited amount of existing research in this specific area.

}, keywords = {BMI, Disabilities, Racial/ethnic differences, Women and Minorities}, issn = {1871-403X}, doi = {10.1016/j.orcp.2018.06.001}, author = {Sharma, Andy} } @article {8509, title = {Smoking Cessation and Changes in Body Mass Index Among Middle Aged and Older Adults.}, journal = {J Appl Gerontol}, volume = {37}, year = {2018}, month = {2018 08}, pages = {1012-1036}, abstract = {

OBJECTIVE: This study contributes to the body of literature examining smoking cessation and body mass index (BMI) for adults aged 50 and older.

METHOD: Utilizing the 2004 and 2010 waves of the RAND Health and Retirement Study, this analysis utilized Fixed Effects (FE) regression on a sample of 1,316 adults aged 50 and older.

RESULTS: Older adults undergo a small change in BMI after a transition from smoking to nonsmoking during a 6-year period, and this occurs after accounting for individual-level unobserved heterogeneity. More specifically, men experience a BMI gain of 1.24 ( p< .01) and women experience a BMI gain of 1.58 ( p< .01).

DISCUSSION: Gerontologists/health professionals can use these results to inform older adults about the potential for a small increase in BMI and, in the process, assuage any apprehensions about excessive weight gain. This insight may encourage a greater number of older adults to cease smoking.

}, keywords = {Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Body Mass Index, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Models, Statistical, Smoking cessation, Weight Gain}, issn = {1552-4523}, doi = {10.1177/0733464816655438}, url = {http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27353834}, author = {Sharma, Andy} } @article {8286, title = {Divorce/Separation in Later-Life: A Fixed Effects Analysis of Economic Well-Being by Gender}, journal = {Journal of Family and Economic Issues}, volume = {36}, year = {2015}, pages = {299-306}, publisher = {36}, abstract = {With the on-going aging of the United States population and an increase in the number of older men and women living in a divorced/separated state, examining the economic security of this group is a worthwhile undertaking. Utilizing the 2004 and 2010 waves of the RAND Health and Retirement Study, this study employed fixed effects (FE) regression to examine the effects of divorce/separation on total wealth for older men and women. Results suggested older divorced/separated individuals endured a significant loss in total wealth due to a martial disruption and women fared worse than men. However, older adults can take proactive steps to ease this financial setback.}, keywords = {Adult children, Methodology, Net Worth and Assets, Public Policy}, doi = {10.1007/s10834-014-9432-1}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10834-014-9432-1}, author = {Sharma, Andy} }