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The Relationship of Socioeconomic Status with Body Mass Index Depends on the Socioeconomic Measure Used
Author(s) -
BastoAbreu Ana,
BarrientosGutiérrez Tonatiuh,
ZepedaTello Rodrigo,
Camacho Vanessa,
Gimeno Ruiz de Porras David,
HernándezÁvila Mauricio
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
obesity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.438
H-Index - 199
eISSN - 1930-739X
pISSN - 1930-7381
DOI - 10.1002/oby.22042
Subject(s) - socioeconomic status , body mass index , demography , multivariate statistics , multivariate analysis , medicine , national health and nutrition examination survey , gerontology , bayesian multivariate linear regression , index (typography) , regression analysis , environmental health , statistics , population , mathematics , pathology , sociology , world wide web , computer science
Objective The association between socioeconomic status (SES) and body mass index (BMI) in middle‐income countries is mixed. Heterogeneity in SES indicators used could explain some differences. This study aimed to identify SES indicators consistently associated with BMI in Mexican adults in 2006, 2012, and 2016. Methods Data were obtained from the Mexican National Health and Nutrition Surveys of 2006, 2012, and 2016, including adults 20 to 59 years old. Given expected differences by sex, sex‐stratified linear regression models were fitted for each survey. Age‐adjusted and multivariate models were fit by using seven noncollinear SES indicators. Results In age‐adjusted models, most SES indicators were associated with a higher BMI in men; mixed associations were found for women. In multivariate models, living in urban areas was associated with a higher BMI for both men and women in 2006 and 2012. Across all surveys, education was associated with a lower BMI in women, while household assets were associated with a higher BMI in men. Conclusions The association between SES indicators and BMI is complex. Differences by sex need to be explicitly recognized when modeling this association. Approaches that rely on a single indicator could be confounded by other SES indicators. Adjusted models show the specific SES attributes that may influence BMI.