WEIGHT CONTROL SURVEY

Dr. l. Power writes a “Keeping Fit” column. In one of his recent
Columns, he says, “For every $1000. above the husband’s average income, the thinner is his wife,” How does one go about securing information of that sort? Surveys of course. America is the land of polls and surveys. When they are published, we all rush to conform to the norm.

In this instance, a survey of 5000 couples did the trick. Income was tabulated from employment records and fat was measured by skin fold thickness. For every $1000. above average the income, there was one millimeter less than average fat on the arms of the wife.

What is the national average fat on the married female arm? A prior survey determined that. Five thousand married female volunteers, from every state in the union, willingly lined up, arm sleeves rolled up, and waited patiently for their skin fold fat to be callipered.

Nobody wants to be out of step with a survey, especially a national one, right? Nevertheless, it can’t be easy for the ladies to
keep matching their fat content to the raises or decreases in their husband’s income. Let’s take some hypothetical cases: Mrs. A is hoping against hope that her husband’s average income rises $3000 above the national average. “I simply have to lose three millimeters of arm fat this year, “ she says, pouting into the mirror.

She is in a dilemma because her husband manages to slide below the average income after a six-month period.
Should she gain the necessary weight needed to match the decline, or wait for year-end results? She opts for the latter and by dint of daily heckling, urging and threats, gets her husband to reverse the downward trend and reach the goal she has set for him. She embraces her husband and promptly sheds three millimeters of skin fold fat.

Her neighbor, Mrs. B. is not so fortunate. She is sitting with two millimeters of above average fat. Her husband had the temerity to slip from $4000. Above average to $2000 below, forcing her to deal with a six-millimeter turn around.. A dramatic change and one giving her sufficient grounds for divorce. “ Education seems to play a role in fat control as well, “Mr. Power goes on to say.

Let’s examine this scenario. Mrs. C. just manages to scrape through kindergarden and is now the ‘Fat Lady’ feature at the circus. The question I would like to ask is this – if she marries a very wealthy man, would her weight go down proportionately, despite her lack of education?

Dr. Powers is not through. “In men, the same studies reveal the opposite trend. The least educated males tended to be the leanest and the more educated, the heaviest. But there were more exceptions to this tendency among men than among women. Mr. X. was one of the exceptions. He was the least educated man in North America but conversely was fatter than a Sumai wrestler. However, when he became the head of a giant corporation, he became as thin as a weed. To confuse this issue still further, Powers has still more to say “The poor are getting fatter while the affluent are getting thinner.”

An earlier quote had the less educated thinner and the more educated, fatter. If we are to concede that advanced education has a direct bearing on earnings, we admit to being totally; confused – as confused as Dr. Powers seems to be.

The survey does not explain what happens to married women who earn more than their spouses, or more money than the national average, or more money collectively with their husbands, than the national average.

The survey does not take into account; Widows, single women, lesbians, homosexuals, or female aerobic instructors. Not accounted for, are athletes, the aged (are we to believe that education and income will determine our weight regardless of age?) Are all of these people to remain in limbo while waiting for another survey?

General conclusions? Do not be influenced by surveys or the ten dressed men and women list. Be abnormal like me.