One More Strike Against Women in Debt: They're Usually Obese, Too
We disparage them because they are overweight. They develop serious diseases and often die younger. And now obese women are paying an even bigger price. Researchers in Lafayette College’s department of economics have learned that women who are struggling to pay bills are more likely to be obese, and men who are struggling to pay bills are more likely to be thin. “It’s no secret that there is a substantial correlation between household debt and health,” Susan Averett, economics professor at Lafayette is quoted at newswise.com, “and research has shown that individuals with less healthy lifestyles are more likely to hold debt.” They studied men and women holding credit card debt and having trouble paying bills, and three outcomes: overweight, obese and Body Mass Index (BMI). There's no smoking gun but “Individuals with less healthy lifestyles are more likely to hold debt, yet there is little evidence as to whether this is merely a correlation or if f...