Socio-economic status and abdominal obesity among Finnish adults from 1992 to 2002

Abstract

Objective: To examine 10-year changes in waist circumference (WC) and identify socio-economic groups having higher WC than expected by their body mass index (BMI). Design: Population based cross-sectional surveys carried out in four regions of Finland in 1992Finland in , 1997Finland in and 2002. Subjects: A total of 9026 women and 8173 men, aged 25-64 years. Measurements: Waist circumference, BMI, socio-economic indicators (education, household income, employment status, marital status) and health behaviors (smoking, alcohol use, physical activity). Results: In 2002, women had about 2.7 cm and men about 1.0 cm higher WC than subjects 10 years previously. Waist circumference increased more than BMI among women, especially among unemployed women. Higher WC among nonemployed women was not explained by socio-economic indicators or health behaviors. Among men, smaller WC was associated with lower socio-economic status. However, associations partly disappeared after adjustment for health behaviors including physical activity at work. Conclusion: Socio-economic patterning of WC is divergent and gender-specific. More attention should be paid to increasing waistlines among women.

Obesity and overweight trends in Catalonia, Spain (1992–2003): gender and socio-economic determinants

“…They also show that WC obesity is increasing more rapidly than BMI obesity and, while BMI obesity is more prevalent among men, WC obesity is more prevalent among women. These findings agree with those of several recent studies carried out in Northern Europe 21,27 . There are few studies that examine the possible relationship of SES and overweight and obesity prevalence, and even fewer for the actual distribution of its prevalence into the SES groups 21,26,28 .…”

“…Nevertheless, the two measures are highly correlated 21 . It has been shown that changes in WC accompany changes in cardiovascular risk factors especially in the elderly 22 .…”

“…It has been shown that changes in WC accompany changes in cardiovascular risk factors especially in the elderly 22 . Research has also shown that WC can also predict morbidity and mortality, considering it a better measure of obesity than BMI, since it is a simple and easy measurement 23 ; WC is even more strongly associated with metabolic abnormalities and healthcare costs than BMI 21 . A single WC measurement has been suggested to be used to identify individuals who should seek and be offered weight management 24 .…”

“…However, this probably has not significantly modified the classification of the participants into the three SES groups. Moreover, this study has not adjusted WC for BMI, which should be done due to the influence a high BMI can have on a high WC 21 . In spite of the mentioned limitations, we believe that our findings contribute to the evidence needed to guide public health policy makers in the design and implementation of preventive campaigns against the increasing trends of overweight and obesity, paying special attention to males and low SEL and educationlevel groups, and small population of residence size (for male overweight and female obesity).…”

Work and Abdominal Obesity Risk

“…Unemployment has also been linked to a higher prevalence of risky health behaviors, including problematic alcohol consumption and smoking [40,94]; a higher rate of all-cause mortality [95]; and higher rates of cardiovascular illnesses [96] and metabolic disturbances [97], including general obesity [97][98][99] and abdominal obesity [40,100].…”