Married couples tend to eat better than singles but they weigh more and are less likely to do sport, according to a new study conducted in nine European countries.
Numerous studies have shown that marriage is good for health. However, researchers from the University of Basel in Switzerland and the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin, have found that does not apply to all health indicators.
Married Couples Weigh More Than Singles
They found that married couples on average eat better than singles, but that they also weigh significantly more and do less sport. The researchers compared the relationship between marital status and body mass index, which relates body weight to height. A high body mass index can be a risk factor for chronic illnesses such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease.
The researchers drew on representative cross-sectional data from 10,226 respondents in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Spain, and the UK.
Findings from all nine countries showed that couples have a higher body mass index than singles - whether men or women. The differences between countries were surprisingly small.
Our findings show how social factors can impact health. In this case, that the institution of marriage and certain changes in behaviour within that context are directly related to nutrition and body weight
– Ralph Hertwig, Director of the Center for Adaptive Rationality, Max Planck Institute for Human Development.
The study was published in the journal Social Science and Medicine.
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