Association between Adolescent and Young Adult Obesity and Disability Incidence in Adulthood

Despite the high prevalence of adolescent obesity in the US, we are unaware of studies that have evaluated its relationship with later disability during young adulthood.

Objective: To evaluate the longitudinal relationship between obesity during adolescence and later development of disability during young adulthood.

Data: A cohort of 8523 individuals aged 11–21 years enrolled in 1994–95 in wave I (WI) of the US National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, followed up in 1996 in wave II (WII) and adulthood in wave III (WIII) [2001–02]. Height and weight were obtained via anthropometry in WII–WIII and surveys were administered in study participants' homes using standardized procedures.

Measures and Methods: Individuals were divided into four categories based on their WII and WIII weight and height: incident obesity; persistent obesity; no obesity; and obesity reversal. Disability was measured in WIII using the SF-36 physical functioning scale. Logistic regression was used to predict the probability of disability as a function of weight category, adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, chronic conditions, smoking, and baseline disability.

Results: Compared with their non-obese peers, adolescents with incident (OR: 1.87 (1.53–2.28)) and persistent obesity (OR: 2.10 (1.65–2.69)) had a higher odds of having physical functioning limitations in WIII.

Conclusions: In this cohort, both incident and persistent obesity during adolescence were significantly associated with increased disability later in young adulthood. In the context of epidemic adolescent obesity, this finding may have dire implications for disability programs and future increases in disability at younger ages.