Working Paper
Has overweight become the new normal?: evidence of a generational shift in body weight norms
Nadler, Carl; Heiland, Frank; Burke, Mary A. (2009)
We test for differences across the two most recent NHANES survey periods (1988?1994 and 1999?2004) in self-perception of weight status. We find that the probability of self-classifying as overweight is significantly lower on average in the more recent survey, for both men and women, controlling for objective weight status and other factors. Among women, the decline in the tendency to self-classify as overweight is concentrated in the 17?35 age range, and, within this range, is more pronounced among women with normal BMI than among those with overweight BMI. Among men, the shift away from ...
Working Papers , Paper 09-3