N (M) = 5,243 N (F) = 5,180 Age range: 14 to 22 years Race: nationally representative; oversampled Hispanics, African-Americans and low-income Whites Response rate: approximately 87% Country: USA
NLSY79
Surveys
Time span: 23 years TP1: 1981 TP2: multiple time points until 2004
(i) Never married and currently cohabiting (ii) Became married (iii) Married to divorced (iv) Into divorced cohabiting
M: Never married and currently cohabiting: BMI increase +0.010 kg/m2 (SE 0.002, ) Became married: BMI increase +0.015 kg/m2 (SE 0.001, ) Married to divorced: no significant findings Into divorced cohabiting: BMI increase +0.015 kg/m2 (SE 0.003, ) F: Never married and currently cohabiting: BMI increase +0.006 kg/m2 (SE 0.003, ) Became married: BMI increase +0.017 kg/m2 (SE 0.002, ) Married to divorced: BMI decrease −0.007 kg/m2 (SE 0.002, ) Into divorced cohabiting: no significant findings
N (M) = 60 N (F) = 60 Age range: 20 to 37 years Race: no detail reported Response rate: no detail reported Country: Australia
N/A
Interviews; self-reported body weight and height
Time span: 3 years TP1: 1982 (before marriage) TP2: Approximately 5 months after marriage TP3: Approximately 2.5 years after marriage
(i) Became married
M: Became married: average weight gain +2 kg; average BMI increase +0.7 kg/m2; 8% increase in overweight or obese population F: Became married: average weight gain +2 kg; average BMI increase +0.7 kg/m2; 5% increase in overweight or obese population
N (M) = 38,865 Age range: 40 to 75 years Race: no detail reported Response rate: 77.1% Country: USA
The Health Professionals Follow-up Study
Questionnaires
Time span: 4 years TP1: 1986 TP2: 1990 or TP1: 1990 TP2: 1994
(i) Married to divorced/separated (ii) Married to widowed (iii) Divorced/separated/ widowed to remarried
M: Married to divorced/separated: BMI decrease −0.31 kg/m2 () Married to widowed: BMI decrease −0.35 kg/m2 () Divorced/separated/widowed to remarried: BMI increase +0.25 kg/m2 () F: No detail reported
Self-reported marital status; cohort not an adequate representation of population
N (M) = 4,331 N (F) = 4,827 Age range: 12 to 19 years Race: African American (, ); White (, ) Response rate: 44.1% Country: USA
ADD Health
Interviews; questionnaires; self-reported body weight and height
Time span: 6 to 8 years TP1: 1994 to 1995 TP2: 2001 to 2002
(i) Into cohabitation (ii) Became married
M: Into cohabitation: no significant findings Became married: African American males BMI increase + kg/m2 (); no significant findings for White males F: Into cohabitation: no significant findings Became married: African American BMI increase + kg/m2 () and White females BMI increase + kg/m2 ()
N (M) = 1,552 Age range: 25 to 44 years Race: 98% Black or White Response rate: 77% Country: USA
NHANES-I; NHEFS
Interviews; measured body weight and height
Time span: 10-year TP1: 1971–1975 TP2: 1982–1984
(i) Became married (ii) Marriage ended
M: Became married: increased odds of major weight gain (≥4.0 kg/m2) OR 3.3 (95% CI 1.7, 6.3) Marriage ended: increased odds of major weight loss (≥2.0 kg/m2) OR 1.8 (95% CI 1.0, 3.3) F: No detail reported
Weight fluctuations during the 10-year follow-up period not reported; differential loss to follow-up could have influenced BMI changes
N (M) = 1,552 N (F) = 3,344 Age range: 25 to 44 years Race: 85.2% White; 14.8% Black Response rate: 77.2% Country: USA
NHANES-I; NHEFS
Surveys; measured body weight and height
Time span: 10 years TP1: 1971–1975 TP2: 1982–1984
(i) Became married (ii) Marriage ended
M: Became married: increased odds of major weight gain (≥4.0 kg/m2) OR 3.3 (95% CI 1.7, 6.3) Marriage ended: increased odds of major weight loss (≤−2.0 kg/m2) OR 1.8 (95% CI 1.0, 3.3) F: Became married: increased odds of major weight gain (≥5.0 kg/m2) OR 1.8 (95% CI 1.0, 3.1); BMI increase +0.8 kg/m2 (95% CI 0.2, 1.3) Marriage ended: Increased odds of major weight loss (≤−2.5 kg/m2) OR 1.2 (95% CI 0.8, 1.9); BMI decrease −0.4 kg/m2 (95% CI −0.7, −0.1)
N (F) = 80,944 Age range: 46 to 71 years Race: no detail reported Response rate: no detail reported Country: USA
NHS
Questionnaires; FFQs; self-reported body weight and height
Time span: 4 years TP1: 1992 TP2: 1996
(i) Married to divorced/ separated (ii) Married to widowed (iii) Unmarried to remarried
M: No detail reported F: Married to divorced/separated: average weight loss −0.65 kg/m2 () Married to widowed: average weight loss −0.44 kg/m2 () Unmarried to remarried: average weight gain +0.41 kg/m2 ()
Exact timing of marital transition and behavioral changes were not precise; self-reported dietary intake
N (M) = 861 N (F) = 1,332 Age range: 20 to 64 years Race: M = 91% White; F = 89% White Response rate: 81% Country: USA
NSPHPC
Phone interviews; self-reported body weight
Time span: 1 year TP1: 1979 TP2: 1980
(i) Became married (ii) Became unmarried
M: Became married: no significant findings Became unmarried: no significant findings F: Became married: average weight gain +4.89 lbs () Became unmarried: no significant findings
Assessed people between 20 and 64 years; weight and marital change self-reported
N (M) = 6,504 N (F) = 6,165 Age range: 25 to 64 years Race: no detail reported Response rate: no detail reported Country: Finland
N/A
Interviews; surveys; measured body weight and height; self-reported body weight change
Time span: average 5.7 years TP1: 1966 to 1972 TP2: 1973 to 1976
(i) Became married (ii) Married to divorced (iii) Married to widowed
M: Became married: increased risk of weight gain (>5 kg) RR 1.8 (95% CI 1.3, 2.5) Married to divorced: no significant findings Married to widowed: decreased risk of weight gain (>5 kg) RR 0.5 (95% CI 0.2, 1.3) F: Became married: increased risk of weight gain (>5 kg) RR 2.1 (95% CI 1.4, 3.2) Married to divorced: no significant findings Married to widowed: decreased risk of weight gain (>5 kg) RR 0.6 (95% CI 0.4, 0.9)
N (M) = 3,500 N (F) = 5,543 Age range: 17 to 74 years Race: no detail reported Response rate: no detail reported Country: USA
NHANES-I; NHEFS
Personal interviews; physical examination; measured body weight and height
Time span: 10 years TP1: 1971–1975 TP2: 1982–1984
(i) Unmarried to married (ii) Married to divorced/separated (iii) Married to widowed
M: Unmarried to married: no significant findings Married to divorced/separated: average weight loss −2.5 lbs (SE 1.1, ) Married to widowed: average weight loss −4.1 lbs (SE 1.7, ) F: Unmarried to married: average weight gain +4.7 lbs (SE 1.7, ) Married to divorced/separated: no significant findings Married to widowed: no significant findings
N (M) = 3,321 N (F) = 3,628 Age range: 18 to 27 years Race: 61% White; 39% others Response rate: no detail reported Country: USA
ADD Health
Questionnaires; measured body weight and height
Time span: 5-6 years TP1: 1996 TP2: 2001 to 2002
(i) Single/dating to cohabiting (ii) Single/dating to married
M: Single/dating to cohabiting: increased odds of obesity OR 1.30 (95% CI 0.81, 2.09) Single/dating to married: increased odds of obesity OR 2.07 (95% CI 1.33, 3.25) F: Single/dating to cohabiting: increased odds of obesity OR 1.63 (95% CI 1.14, 2.32) Single/dating to married: increased odds of obesity OR 2.27 (95% CI 1.54, 3.34)
Direct factors that change in romantic relationships (e.g., dietary factors, social obligations, weight control) were not measured
N (M) = 1,705 N (F) = 1,911 Age range: 24 years and older Race: no detail reported Response rate: no detail reported Country: USA
ACL
Face-to-face interviews; surveys; self-reported body weight and height
Time span: 3 years TP1: 1986 TP2: 1989
(i) Unmarried to married (ii) Married to unmarried
M: Unmarried to married: no significant findings Married to unmarried: BMI decrease −0.039 kg/m2 () F: Unmarried to married: no significant findings Married to unmarried: BMI decrease −0.047 kg/m2 ()
Data do not include measures of indirect mechanisms such as responsibility and facilitation of health behavior
N (M) = 690 N (F) = 810 Mean age: 42.67 years Race: 91% White; 9% Black Response rate: no detail reported Country: USA
ACL
Face-to-face interviews; surveys; self-reported body weight and height
Time span: 15 years TP1: 1986 TP2: 1989 TP3: 1994 TP4: 2001
(i) Unmarried to married (ii) Married to divorced (iii) Married to widowed
M/F: Unmarried to married: no significant findings Married to divorced (between TP1 and TP2): decreased BMI −0.734 kg/m2 () at TP2 (loss is temporary and nonsignificant at TP3 and TP4) Married to widowed (between TP2 and TP3): decreased BMI −0.712 kg/m2 () at TP3 and −1.295 kg/m2 () at TP4 (between TP3 and TP4): decreased BMI −0.993 kg/m2 () at TP4
Small sample size for some marital transitions; mortality and survey attrition greater for those at highest and lowest weight levels (underestimation of observed effects)
N (F) = 72,247 Age range: 50 to 79 years Race: 85.4% White; 14.6% others Response rate: no detail reported Country: USA
WHI
Questionnaires; physical and health behavior data collected at clinic visit
Time span: 3 years TP1: 1992 TP2: 1993 to 1998
(i) Married to widowed (ii) Widowed to remarried
M: No detail reported F: Married to widowed: significantly more likely to report unintentional weight loss >5 lb () Widowed to remarried: weight gain +1.562 kg (SE 0.753, )
Longer follow up time needed; depressed were screened out; women could have experienced a marital transition not captured by assessments; selective volunteer population; fairly young sample
ACL: Americans Changing Lives, ADD Health: National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, ADS: Adult Development Study, BMI: Body Mass Index, CHES: The Caregiver Health Effects Study, CHS: Cardiovascular Health Study, F: female, FFQ: Food Frequency Questionnaire, kg: kilograms, lbs: pounds, m: meters, M: male, M/F: findings reported males and females combined, N/A: not applicable, NHANES: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, NHS: Nurses Health Study, NHEFS: NHANES I Epidemiological Follow-Up Study, NLSY79: National Longitudinal Survey of Work Experience of Youth (1979 cohort), NSPHPC: National Survey of Personal Health Practices and Consequences, TP1: time point 1, TP2: time point 2, TP3: time point 3, TP4: time point 4, WHI: Women’s Health Initiative.
1N and age ranges represented from time point 1.
2Marital transition terminology reported in table was used by authors of the respective articles.