High schools play a significant role in shaping students’ futures, but a new study suggests they may also have an impact on how much a person weighs later in life. Researchers from Penn State, the University of Texas, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the University of Minnesota conducted a study that found associations between various aspects of students’ high school experiences and their weight in midlife.
Published in the journal Social Science and Medicine, the study revealed that attending private high schools, schools with more socioeconomic resources, and engaging in certain in-school activities like taking advanced classes and being popular were all linked to a healthier weight in midlife. These associations were particularly strong among women.
Lead author Michelle Frisco, a professor of sociology and demography, explained that while previous studies have linked earning a college degree and attending selective colleges to adult weight, this study highlights the importance of understanding how the entire educational process, starting from high school, influences health outcomes.
Using data from the National Center for Education Statistics’ High School & Beyond Study from the 1980s, the researchers followed up with participants in their early 50s to investigate the relationship between various dimensions of high school life and midlife weight. They found that factors such as family and school socioeconomic status, school type, curricular tracks, and popularity were all related to midlife weight, especially among women.
The researchers suggested that individuals from families and schools with higher socioeconomic status had an advantage in avoiding obesity as adults due to the promotion of healthy lifestyles and ideals about body image and physical activity. The study sample attended high school at a time when obesity rates were much lower, and certain high school experiences seemed to protect against obesity later in life as rates increased significantly over the decades.
Frisco emphasized the importance of understanding how school programs and policies can impact long-term health and well-being. The team plans to further explore how the educational process influences other adult health outcomes and whether these findings apply to younger generations.
The study, co-authored by Emily Lybbert, Chandra Muller, Eric Grodsky, and J. Robert Warren, sheds light on the lasting impact of high school experiences on midlife weight and underscores the role that education plays in shaping health outcomes.
For more information, the study titled “Do high school experiences shape midlife body weight?” can be found in the journal Social Science & Medicine.
