Global and National Socioeconomic Disparities in Obesity, Overweight, and Underweight Status

Abstract EN

Objective.

To examine the association between socioeconomic factors and weight status across 53 countries.

Methods.

Data are cross-sectional and from the long version of the World Health Survey (WHS).

There were 172,625 WHS participants who provided self-reported height and weight measures and sociodemographic information.

The International Classification of adult weight status was used to classify participants by body mass index (BMI): (1) underweight (<18.5), (2) normal weight (18.5–24.9), (3) overweight (25.0–29.9), and (4) obese (>30.0).

Multinomial regression was used in the analyses.

Results.

Globally, 6.7% was underweight, 25.7% overweight, and 8.9% obese.

Underweight status was least (5.8%) and obesity (9.3%) most prevalent in the richest quintile.

There was variability between countries, with a tendency for lower-income quintiles to be at increased risk for underweight and reduced risk for obesity.

Conclusion.

International policies may require flexibility in addressing cross-national differences in the socio-economic covariates of BMI status.