In 1999, more than 55 percent of United States adults were overweight, an increase of 8 percent in fifteen years. Because overweight is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality, the alarming increase in overweight underscored the need for innovative and effective weight-loss interventions. Tailored interventions specifically designed for high-risk subgroups can compliment existing population-based approaches. However, before designing such interventions, sociodemographic characteristics of those at high risk must be identified.. Although past studies have shown that ethnicity is associated with overweight, these studies suffered from potential confounding from SES because ethnic minority groups are disproportionately poor. Past studies have been compromised by limited sample size at the extremes of SES such as higher SES Mexican-Americans or Blacks, and/or lower SES Whites.