An Increasing Socioeconomic Gap in Childhood Overweight and Obesity in China

Abstract

We used a new conceptual framework that integrates tenets from health economics, social epidemiology, and health behavior to analyze the impact of socioeconomic forces on the temporal changes in the socioeconomic status (SES) gap in childhood overweight and obesity in China. In data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey for 1991 to 2006, we found increased prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity across all SES groups, but a greater increase among higher-SES children, especially after 1997, when income inequality dramatically increased. Our findings suggest that for China, the increasing SES gap in purchasing power for obesogenic goods, associated with rising income inequality, played a prominent role in the country's increasing SES gap in childhood obesity and overweight.

Child Overweight and Obesity in Shanghai, China: Contextualizing Chinese Socioeconomic and Gender Differences

“…Due to mixed development in these middleincome countries, and China in particular, it is difficult to Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-017-9688-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. establish exactly where Chinese children fit along the nutrition transition spectrum [11].…”

“…Rural areas of the country have lower incomes than urban areas-particularly as compared to Shanghai-with less variation in SES. Evidence also suggests that childhood overweight/obesity has increased more rapidly among high-SES families than low-SES families between 1991 and 2006, particularly in urban areas [11], yet little is known about the factors associated with SES differences in overweight and obesity among children in China today.…”

Socioeconomic Inequality in Overweight/Obesity and Related Factors in Adolescents in Kermanshah-Iran

“…Overweight and obesity have remarkably increased in children and adolescents, especially among socially excluded populations (9). He et al (2014) showed that family socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with overweight and obesity in childhood and adolescence. However, this might represent a conditional relationship which is dependent on the country's stage of Copyright development (10).…”

“…He et al (2014) showed that family socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with overweight and obesity in childhood and adolescence. However, this might represent a conditional relationship which is dependent on the country's stage of Copyright development (10). In developed countries, obesity is more common in individuals with low SES than in people with high SES (10,11).…”

“…However, this might represent a conditional relationship which is dependent on the country's stage of Copyright development (10). In developed countries, obesity is more common in individuals with low SES than in people with high SES (10,11). However, in low-income countries, obesity is more common in higher socioeconomic groups (positive relationship between SES and obesity in males and females).…”