TY - JOUR
T1 - Social inequality in obesity in an Eastern Mediterranean population
T2 - evidence from a national health survey in Cyprus
AU - Quattrocchi, A.
AU - Kolokotroni, O.
AU - Demetriou, C. A.
AU - Mosquera, M. C.
AU - Charalambous, A.
AU - Heraclides, A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© Società Editrice Universo (SEU), Roma, Italy
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - Background. We aimed to explore socioeconomic factors associated with obesity among adults and to investigate social inequality in obesity prevalence in Cyprus. Study design. Cross-sectional study Methods. We conducted a survey among 3,021 Greek-Cypriots aged 25-64 years, collecting self-reported demographics, health behaviors, socioeconomic characteristics and anthropometric measurements. We performed univariable and multivariable (adjusting for demographics and health behaviors) sex-specific Poisson’s regression with robust variance, reporting adjusted prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals. Results. The prevalence of obesity was 22% among males and 17% among females. According to univariable analyses, higher obesity prevalence was associated with increased age, decreased physical activity and decreased alcohol consumption in both genders. In addition, obesity was associated with refugee status and former smoking in males and with a higher healthy diet score in females. There was a clear linear decrease in obesity prevalence each step up the socioeconomic hierarchy in both genders. In the fully adjusted model, a clear inverse gradient in obesity prevalence by educational attainment was observed in females (p=0.002), while, in males, lower obesity prevalence remained significantly associated with the highest level of family-net income and educational attainment (aPR:0.48; 95% CI:0.27-0.84 and aPR:0.46; 95% CI:0.25-0.84, respectively). Occupational social class was not associated with obesity. Conclusions. This study highlights striking social inequalities in obesity in an Eastern Mediterranean population, which only recently moved from rural living to high levels of development.
AB - Background. We aimed to explore socioeconomic factors associated with obesity among adults and to investigate social inequality in obesity prevalence in Cyprus. Study design. Cross-sectional study Methods. We conducted a survey among 3,021 Greek-Cypriots aged 25-64 years, collecting self-reported demographics, health behaviors, socioeconomic characteristics and anthropometric measurements. We performed univariable and multivariable (adjusting for demographics and health behaviors) sex-specific Poisson’s regression with robust variance, reporting adjusted prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals. Results. The prevalence of obesity was 22% among males and 17% among females. According to univariable analyses, higher obesity prevalence was associated with increased age, decreased physical activity and decreased alcohol consumption in both genders. In addition, obesity was associated with refugee status and former smoking in males and with a higher healthy diet score in females. There was a clear linear decrease in obesity prevalence each step up the socioeconomic hierarchy in both genders. In the fully adjusted model, a clear inverse gradient in obesity prevalence by educational attainment was observed in females (p=0.002), while, in males, lower obesity prevalence remained significantly associated with the highest level of family-net income and educational attainment (aPR:0.48; 95% CI:0.27-0.84 and aPR:0.46; 95% CI:0.25-0.84, respectively). Occupational social class was not associated with obesity. Conclusions. This study highlights striking social inequalities in obesity in an Eastern Mediterranean population, which only recently moved from rural living to high levels of development.
KW - Classe sociale
KW - Determinanti socioeconomici
KW - Disuguaglianza sociale
KW - Education
KW - Livello di istruzione
KW - Obesity parole chiave
KW - Obesità
KW - Social class
KW - Social inequalities
KW - Socio-economic
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85132049944&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.7416/ai.2021.2483
DO - 10.7416/ai.2021.2483
M3 - Article
C2 - 34652411
AN - SCOPUS:85132049944
SN - 1120-9135
VL - 34
SP - 293
EP - 317
JO - Annali di Igiene Medicina Preventiva e di Comunita
JF - Annali di Igiene Medicina Preventiva e di Comunita
IS - 4
ER -