Abstract
We investigated whether family income gradients in obesity, overweight, and adiposity persist at geographic-level deprivation quintiles using a nationally representative cohort of UK adolescents. Data from 11,714 eligible adolescents from the sixth sweep of the Millennium Cohort Study (14 years old) were analysed in this study. The International Obesity Task Force age- and sex-specific thresholds were used to define obesity and overweight. Self-reported family income was standardized using the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)’s equivalised income scale. Geographic-level deprivation was defined by the index of multiple deprivation 2004. Results showed that the prevalence of obesity and overweight was 8.0% and 27.2%, respectively. Mean percentage body fat was 16.9% (standard error, SE = 0.2%) in male and 27.3% (SE = 0.1%) in female adolescents. Risk of obesity, overweight, and adiposity increased with decreasing family income quintiles (p for trend <0.001). After stratifying by geographic-level deprivation quintiles, a U-shaped association emerged, whereby family income gradients in the risk of adolescent obesity and adiposity persisted in extremely affluent and extremely deprived neighbourhoods but attenuated to non-significance in middle-class neighbourhoods. These results focus on the findings from England. Recognition of the persistence of inequalities in the risk of obesity in the most deprived and affluent neighbourhoods may be necessary in planning public health resources and interventions.
Highlights
There has been a dramatic increase in the prevalence of obesity [1]
We investigated whether family income gradients in obesity, overweight, and adiposity persist for every geographic-level deprivation quintile using a nationally representative cohort of UK adolescents
We investigated whether family income gradients in the risk of obesity, overweight, and adiposity persist in each quintile of geographic-level deprivation after stratification
Summary
There has been a dramatic increase in the prevalence of obesity [1]. The most problematic upsurge in obesity prevalence has been among children and adolescents—for whom, there has been a reported 1.2 kg/m2 increase in global age-standardised average body mass index (BMI) since 1975 to2016 [2]. There has been a dramatic increase in the prevalence of obesity [1]. The most problematic upsurge in obesity prevalence has been among children and adolescents—for whom, there has been a reported 1.2 kg/m2 increase in global age-standardised average body mass index (BMI) since 1975 to. Over this same period, the global prevalence of obesity has increased by eight- and nine-folds for girls and boys, respectively [2]. 5 and 16 years who are classified as being overweight or obese [3]. In the recent decade, evidence from the UK suggests that there has been a gradual tapering in adolescent obesity prevalence, for children from wealthy families but not for those from poorer families [4].
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