Michele Mouttapa^1,, Sharonda Wallace²

It has been estimated that over one in three adults in the United States is obese, and that obese women have higher rates of mortality from all causes compared to obsese men. Attention has been devoted to background characteristics that are associated with the consumption of foods and beverages that are related to obesity. One such characteristic is marital status, and studies suggest that married individuals have healthier dietary behaviors, including more consumption of fruits and vegetables, compared to never married, divorced, or widowed individuals. This cross-sectional study expands upon existing research by examining marital status differences on the frequency of: (1) sugar-sweetened beverage (e.g., fruit-flavored beverages and non-diet sodas), (2) diet beverage, and (3) caffeinated beverage consumption (e.g., coffee and energy drinks), as well as (4) fruit (including 100% fruit juices) and (5) vegetable consumption. One hundred forty married and 104 never married female staff at two southern California universities in the United States completed a self-report online survey responding with demographic information, height, weight, and past week frequency of specific dietary intakes. Results indicated that the married and never married women had statistically similar body mass index (BMI). When controlling for demographic variables, married women had higher frequencies of vegetable consumption, diet beverages, and caffeinated beverages, while never married participants had higher frequencies of sugared beverage consumption. Previous studies have suggested that married women make healthier food choices in general compared to non-married women. However our findings suggest that further research is needed to compare married and never married women’s beverage choices in greater detail, to better understand whether their varied preferences place them at differential risk for obesity in the long term.

dietary intakes, marital status, beverages, overweight, obesity, women