Socioeconomic inequalities in body weight have been demonstrated
in numerous cross-sectional studies; however, little research
has investigated these inequalities from a life course and
longitudinal perspective. We examined the association between
child- and adulthood socioeconomic position (SEP) and BMI and
overweight/obesity in 1991 (baseline) and changes in BMI and the
prevalence of overweight and obesity between 1991 and 2004. Data
from the 1991 and 2004 waves of the longitudinal Dutch GLOBE
study were used. Participants (n = 1,465) were aged 40–60 years
at baseline. BMI was calculated from self-reported height and
weight collected by postal questionnaire. Retrospective recall
of father's occupation was used as childhood socioeconomic
indicator, and adulthood SEP was measured by the occupation of
the main income earner of the household. The findings showed
that among women, childhood SEP exerted a greater influence on
body weight than SEP in adulthood: at baseline, women from
disadvantaged backgrounds in