US Adult Obesity vs Sunspot Number

US Adult Obesity and Sunspot Number correlate at r = -0.39 over 45 years (1980–2024), p = 0.0086. With the time trend removed, r = -0.20. Holds up after detrending.

Verdict: Holds up after detrending. Statistically significant (p = 0.0086) and the association survives trend removal (detrended r = -0.20). Correlation still isn't causation, but this one isn't an obvious artifact.

Pearson r: -0.39
p-value: 0.0086
Years compared (n): 45 (1980–2024)
95% confidence interval: -0.61 to -0.11
Correlation with the time trend removed: -0.20

Sources

US Adult Obesity (% of adults): Our World in Data. US Adult Obesity (Our World in Data: Obesity among adults, BMI >= 30 kg/m2 (crude estimate) (%) - Sex: both sexes - Age group: 18+ years of age).
Sunspot Number (yearly mean): SILSO. Yearly mean total sunspot number (SILSO, Royal Observatory of Belgium).

Related pairs

US Adult Obesity vs US Population (r = +1.00)
US Median Age vs US Adult Obesity (r = +0.99)
US Marriage Rate vs US Adult Obesity (r = -0.98)
US Adult Obesity vs US Resident Patent Applications (r = +0.98)
US Adult Obesity vs US Mobile Subscriptions (r = +0.98)
US Adult Obesity vs US Internet Users (r = +0.98)

Correlation does not imply causation. How the verdict is worked out.