"The table reveals substantial differences in the prevalence of obesity, by as much as nearly seven percentage points, across occupations. The two "white-collar" groups, higher-level and lower-level professionals, exhibit the highest obesity rates, while farmers and those veterans classified as manual laborers have the lowest. These differentials between occupations are also found when we look at average levels of body mass index."
http://www.src.uchicago.edu/prc/pdfs/helmch01.pdf
the paper is on the structural factors that contribute to rising obesity rates. after discounting for the general rise that is an artifact of the effect of an aging society, they want to look at how availability of cheaper, more calorically dense food and obesity rates, as well as the decline in calorie expenditure (having more sedentary jobs, etc.) at work and 'leisure' and obesity rates.
kelley