The Psychology of Gender 4th Edition

Sex Differences in Health: Evidence and Explanations 369

general, android obesity poses greater risks to

health than gynoid obesity. Among those 45

years old and younger, obesity has a stron-

ger relation to mortality for men, but among

those over 45, overweight and obesity have a

stronger relation to hospitalizations and mor-

tality for women (Han, Truesdale et al., 2009;

Muennig et al., 2006).

Aside from physical health problems,

there are implications of obesity for quality of

life. The social, psychological, and economic

consequences of obesity are more severe for

women than for men (Muennig et al., 2006).

Whereas obese women are less likely than non-

obese women to go to college, there is no rela-

tion of obesity to higher education among men

(Crosnoe, 2007). Obesity is also more clearly

related to depression in White, Black, and His-

panic women than men (Heo et al., 2006).

Definition. Obesity is typically determined

by a combination of height and weight, or the

body mass index (BMI), the calculation for

which is shown in Table 10.9. A BMI between

25.0 and 29.9 is classified as overweight, and a

BMI over 30.0 is classified as obese.

Prevalence. As first indicated by the sur-

geon general’s call to action in 2001, obesity

has become an epidemic in the United States.

In the 2007–2008 National Health and Nutri-

tion Examination Survey, 34% of adults over

20 years old were overweight and an addi-

tional 34% were obese (Flegal et al., 2010). The

rate of obesity has doubled since the 1976–

1980 survey. The increase in overweight and

obesity is due in part to an increase in weight

among the most obese (i.e., the heaviest people

illegal drugs. The only drugs that females

tend to use more than males are prescrip-

tion tranquilizers and sedatives; this finding

holds for all age groups. Among high school

students, males are more likely to have used

cocaine, ecstasy, heroin, and methamphet-

amines than females (Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention, 2010a). Averaging

across studies, sex differences in the use of

specific drugs are shown in Table 10.8.

Overweight and Obesity

Obesity is a risk factor for all causes of mortal-

ity, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, hypertension

(high blood pressure), high cholesterol, and

some cancers. Obesity takes different forms in

women and men. Men are more likely to have

android obesity: the apple shape, which con-

sists of extra weight collected around the abdo-

men. Android obesity is measured by the ratio

of waist to hip size. A ratio of more than 1.0

is a significant risk factor for men and a ratio

of more than .8 is a significant risk for women

(Wing & Klem, 1997). Women are more likely

to havegynoid obesity: the pear shape, which

consists of extra weight around the hips. In

TABLE 10.8 SEX DIFFERENCES IN SUBSTANCE ABUSE

Substance Abuse Ratio

Alcohol Males higher (5:1)

Amphetamine Males higher (3–4:1)

Caffeine Males higher

Cannabis Males higher

Cocaine Males higher (1.5–2.0:1)

Hallucinogens Males higher (3:1)

Heroin Males higher (3:1)

Inhalants Males higher

Nicotine Males higher

Sedatives Females higher

Source: Adapted from the American Psychiatric

Association (2000).

TABLE 10.9 BODY MASS INDEX (BMI)

BMI calculation:

Weight (kilograms)

Height^2 (meters)

M10_HELG0185_04_SE_C10.indd 369 6/21/11 8:54 AM