Influence of sociodemographic factors in the prevalence of obesity in Spain. The SEEDO'97 Study

Abstract

Objective: To analyse the in¯uence of social and cultural factors in the prevalence of obesity in the Spanish adult population aged 25 ± 60 y based on available population data. Design: Pooled analysis of four cross-sectional nutrition surveys. Subjects: A total of 5388 free-living subjects aged 25 ± 60 y, respondents of the Nutritional Surveys carried out in four Spanish regions (Catalunya, Basque Country, Madrid and Valencia) from 1990 to 1994. The samples were pooled together and weighted to build a national random sample. Measurements: Weight and height were measured on each individual by trained observers. Age, gender, educational level, occupation, habitat (ruralaurban) and region were considered. Obesity was de®ned as body mass index !30 kgam 2 . The protocol used in each survey was in accordance with the recommendations of the Spanish Society for the Study of Obesity (SEEDO). Logisitic regression models were designed to analyse the in¯uence of sociodemographic factors in the prevalence of obesity in men and women. Results: The prevalence of obesity was higher in older age groups in men and women, odds ratio (OR) for every 10 y OR 1.40 (95% CI 1.39 ± 1.41) for men and OR 1.86 (95% CI 1.85 ± 1.87) for women. Logisitic regression analysis adjusted for age showed higher obesity rates among low educated people, OR 1.80 (95% CI 1.78 ± 1.81) in men and OR 2.36 (95% CI 2.29 ± 2.42) in women (P`0.001). Among men the odds ratio for the prevalence of obesity in rural areas was OR 1.87 (95% CI 1.86 ± 1.89), compared to cities. The geographical distribution showed higher obesity rates in the southeast. Conclusion: This study supports that obesity is a multifactorial problem. Older women with low educational level and low income seem to be the most susceptible group to weight gain. Therefore, Public Health Programs should consider this type of environmental factor when planning strategies aimed at preventing or reducing the problem of obesity in western societies.

Overweight and obesity in Italian adults 2004, and an overview of trends since 1983

“…We did not find any major difference according to urbanisation of the area of residence, in contrast with a study from Spain showing a higher prevalence of obesity in Overweight and obesity in Italy S Gallus et al rural areas compared to cities for men (Aranceta et al, 2001). The definition of urban/rural area of residence was, however, different in the two studies.…”

“…As it was shown in several developed countries, including Western European countries (Seidell and Flegal, 1997;Sundquist and Johansson, 1998;Martinez et al, 1999;Sarlio-Lahteenkorva and Lahelma, 1999;Aranceta et al, 2001;Tur et al, 2005), the USA (Freedman et al, 2002), but even in the developing world with a comparatively high gross domestic product (Sibai et al, 2003;Monteiro et al, 2004), prevalence of overweight and obesity was inversely associated with levels of education. Therefore, in Italy, lowereducated categories have an unfavourable pattern not only in terms of smoking prevalence (Gallus et al, 2006), but also in terms of obesity.…”

Factors associated with overweight and obesity in Quebec adults

“…Similar to other studies, 9,18 education level and in particular university education was inversely associated with BMI.…”

Micro-environmental and socio-demographic determinants of childhood obesity

“…14 The results were very similar to those observed in children and adolescents from Aragó n. 10 Logistic regression analysis adjusted for age showed higher obesity rates among less educated people; ORs were 1.80 (95% CI 1.78-1.81) in men and 2.36 (95% CI 2.29-2.42) in women. The relationship between the level of education and the risk of obesity has been confirmed in adults from southeast Spain (OR 3.8).…”