ABSTRACT
The obesity epidemic has progressed rapidly in the United States over the last several decades. The mean body mass index (BMI) of US adults has increased from 25.7 kg/m2 to 28.7 for men and 25.1 kg/m2 to 28.7 for women from the 1960s to 2000s [1], [2], [3]. The prevalence of obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m2) among adults 20 to 74 years of age has increased nearly threefold [2], [4], [5]. These average trends, however, fail to capture potential heterogeneous patterns in body weight over time. For example, studies have found a prominent rightward skewing of the BMI distribution over time, contributing to a larger rise in mean BMI than might be seen if the mean was the only component of the BMI distribution to change over time [2], [6], [7]. Other studies have demonstrated variability in
the prevalence of overweight and obese individuals by neighborhood of residence, with greater increases in those neighborhoods with lower socioeconomic status [8], [9], [10], [11], [12].
