The Significance and Relative Contributions of Demographic, Residence, and Socioeconomic Status in Nineteenth-Century U.S. BMI Variation

Sources of nineteenth-century body mass index variation have received increased attention in economic and historical studies. Although modern body mass indexes increased during the twentieth century, nineteenth-century black and white body mass indexes were distributed symmetrically. Blacks in the Great Lakes and whites from the Southeast were more likely to be underweight, and blacks in Kentucky and whites in the Upper South and Far West were more likely to be overweight and obese. Farmers had greater body mass index values than workers in other occupations. Factors individuals did not control--such as age, race, and height--were the primary sources of nineteenth-century body mass index variation; choice characteristics--such as residence and occupations--had little to do with body mass index variation during U.S. economic development.