Subjective Survival Expectations: Mortality Differentials by Body Weight Status

Beatriz Novak, University of Wisconsin at Madison

Previous research showed that subjective survival expectations are accurate enough to be used as a valid alternative when mortality studies are not feasible. They also were found to allow the study of trends in differential mortality by income, education, and wealth. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the use of subjective survival estimations in the analysis of differential mortality by body weight categories as measured by BMI. The data used is from HRS 1992-2006. Results are showing: first, that we could use subjective survival in order to estimate differentials in mortality by body weight categories; second, that those differentials do not seem to have changed over the 14-year period considered. We should mention that the prevalence of Obesity Class I (30≤BMI<35) increased by 5% between 1992 and 2006 for individuals in the age range 50-60, but that it doubled for the combined category Obesity Classes II/III (BMI≥35).