Sociodemographic disparity in health-related behaviours and dietary habits among public workers in China: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

ObjectiveWe aimed to estimate the distribution of health-related behaviours and dietary habits by sociodemographics among public workers in China.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingA representative sample was obtained from 10 government-run institutions in Hunan province of China.ParticipantsA total of 5029 public workers were included in this study.Primary and secondary outcome measuresPrevalence on their sociodemographic characteristics, health-related behaviours and dietary habits. Socioeconomic status (SES) scores were calculated by multiplying ordinal numerical values assigned to consecutive categories of education level and annual household income. Multivariate logistic regression analysis and categorical principal component analysis were used to estimate differences in health-related behaviours and dietary habits by sociodemographics.ResultsThe distribution of health-related behaviours and dietary habits was varied by sociodemographic groups. Middle-aged groups (41–60 years) were more likely to smoke (for men, 34.5%), use alcohol (for men, 22.5%), and have short sleep duration (for men, 36.3%; for women, 39.6%). Young participants (≤30 years) were more likely to have multiple unhealthy behaviours and dietary habits. Those in low-SES have a significant higher rate of smoking (ORadj=1.46, 95% CI: 1.15 to 1.85) and leisure-time physical inactivity (ORadj=1.18, 95% CI: 1.02 to 1.37), but a lower rate of late sleeping (ORadj=0.69, 95% CI: 0.57 to 0.83) than those in high-SES. Notably, older men (≥51 years) with low-SES preferred the ‘smoked and pickled foods and dessert’ and ‘fish and nut’ pattern. In high-SES groups, 41–50 year old people preferred the ‘traditional foods’ and ‘cereals and dairy product’ pattern. No difference in dietary patterns by sociodemographics was found among women (p<0.05).ConclusionsOur findings of the disparity distribution of health-related behaviours and dietary habits by specific gender, age and SES among Chinese public workers have important policy implications for developing targeted health interventions to facilitate health-related behaviours and dietary habits in this population.

Associations of Socioeconomic Status and Healthy Lifestyle With Incidence of Dyslipidemia: A Prospective Chinese Governmental Employee Cohort Study

“…Another study conducted in the US revealed a weaker association between lifestyles and health outcome among men with low incomes, whereas not among women ( 57 ). This difference could be because smoking, heavy alcohol consumption, or physical inactivity behaviors might be more prevalent in men of low SES ( 20 ). Inconsistent definitions of SES and lifestyles also explain the part of the problem.…”

“…This study was based on the Cohort study on Chronic Diseases of Governmental Employees, which was carried out in five major cities (Changsha, Zhuzhou, Huaihua, Xiangtan, and Changde) of Hunan Province, China. Detailed information on study design of this cohort has been described in our previous study ( 20 ). Briefly, a multistage sampling design was carried out to obtain a representative sample from January 2018 to November 2019, and incidence data were updated to 31 December 2020.…”

“…Baseline self-reported education level, family income level, and occupational position were used to measure SES, and each factor was divided into three levels (low, medium, and high). Total family income was obtained through a digital self-reported questionnaire platform, which was applied in our previous study ( 20 ), and we grouped participants: low (≤ ¥50,000), middle (¥50,000–29,999), and high (≥¥300,000) according to the urban average annual wages of staff and workers on the job in Hunan Province, China [from Hunan Statistical Yearbook 2019 ( 21 )]. Education was categorized into less than high school diploma, high school graduate or equivalent, and college or above.…”

Pengaruh Pelayanan Informasi Swamedikasi Online Berbasis Whatsapp Bot terhadap Pengetahuan Masyarakat

“…Tingkat pendidikan mampu mempengaruhi pola pikir seseorang dalam berperilaku hidup sehat. Hal tersebut berkaitan dengan penggunaan dan pemanfaatan pelayanan kesehatan yang diterimanya (14). Tingkat Pendidikan juga mempengaruhi penggunaan obat maupun perilaku swamedikasi oleh masyarakat (15) (16).…”

Data_Sheet_1.docx

“…Another study conducted in the US revealed a weaker association between lifestyles and health outcome among men with low incomes, whereas not among women (57). This difference could be because smoking, heavy alcohol consumption, or physical inactivity behaviors might be more prevalent in men of low SES (20). Inconsistent definitions of SES and lifestyles also explain the part of the problem.…”