The association between the neighbourhood social environment and obesity in Brazil: a cross-sectional analysis of the ELSA-Brasil study

Abstract

ObjectiveTo investigate the association between the neighbourhood social environment, including social cohesion, perceived neighbourhood safety, perceived neighbourhood violence, and obesity in Brazil.DesignCross-sectional study.Setting6 state capitals in Brazil (Salvador, Vitoria, Belo Horizonte, Porto Alegre, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro)ParticipantsCurrent or former employees of five federal universities and one research centre in each of the six Brazilian state capitals who were participants of the baseline wave (2008–2010) of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (n=11 456; 56% women; 56% White, 28% Brown, and 16% Black).Primary outcome measureObesity, based on measured weight and height, and defined as having a body mass index ≥30 kg/m2.ResultsNo associations were found between the neighbourhood social environment and obesity among men. In multilevel logistic regression models adjusted for age, education, skin colour, state of residence, and individual-level social cohesion and perceived violence scores, respectively, women living in the least socially cohesive neighbourhoods and in those perceived as most violent had higher odds of obesity compared with their counterparts (OR=1.25, 95% CI=1.02–1.53; OR=1.28, 95% CI=1.04–1.56, respectively). When stratified by neighbourhood socioeconomic status (SES)—defined based on number of people per household, proportion of children 0–4 years, median income and per cent of white residents at the neighbourhood level—results for social cohesion and for violence remained only for women residing in high SES and low SES neighbourhoods, respectively.ConclusionsIn this civil-servant sample in six large cities in Brazil, the neighbourhood social environment was associated with obesity among women, but not men. Neighbourhood-level interventions to increase social cohesion and reduce violence may help in the prevention of obesity among women in Brazil.

Associations of Socioeconomic Status and Physical Activity With Obesity Measures in Rural Chinese Adults

“…We found that higher education level was associated with lower odds of obesity in women, which is consistent with some studies in the Philippines ( 47 ), Thailand ( 48 ), Tehran ( 49 ), and urban areas such as Zhejiang ( 20 ), Tianjin ( 26 ), Guangdong ( 50 ), and 33 communities of Northeast China ( 51 ). Besides, it was observed in the present study that, men with higher income had higher odds of obesity, which is in agreement with studies in Thailand ( 48 ), Mexican ( 52 ), and other studies in China ( 20 , 51 ), but differs from studies in Molise adults ( 53 ) and Brazil adults ( 54 ). A recent review ( 16 ) concluded that in low-income countries, overweight and obesity are more common in more socioeconomically affluent groups and that this pattern flattens and then reverses as country-level income increases.…”

Data_Sheet_1.docx

“…We found that higher education level was associated with lower odds of obesity in women, which is consistent with some studies in the Philippines (47), Thailand (48), Tehran (49), and urban areas such as Zhejiang (20), Tianjin (26), Guangdong (50), and 33 communities of Northeast China (51). Besides, it was observed in the present study that, men with higher income had higher odds of obesity, which is in agreement with studies in Thailand (48), Mexican (52), and other studies in China (20,51), but differs from studies in Molise adults (53) and Brazil adults (54). A recent review (16) concluded that in low-income countries, overweight and obesity are more common in more socioeconomically affluent groups and that this pattern flattens and then reverses as country-level income increases.…”

Estatística Cardiovascular – Brasil 2021

“… 377 Outro estudo empregando modelos de regressão logística multinível ajustados para idade, educação, cor da pele, estado de residência, nível individual, pontuação de coesão social e violência percebida mostrou que as mulheres que vivem em áreas menos coesas socialmente e bairros considerados mais violentos tiveram maiores chances de obesidade em comparação com suas contrapartes (OR 1,25, IC 95%, 1,02 - 1,53; OR 1,28, IC 95%, 1,04 - 1,56, respectivamente). 378 …”