Abstract
BackgroundAs a key health risk, the prevalence of overweight has been strikingly increasing worldwide. This study aimed to disentangle the net age, period, and cohort effects on overweight among Chinese adults by gender.MethodsData came from the Chinese General Social Survey from 2008 to 2015, which was a repeated cross-sectional survey (n = 55,726, aged 18 and older). χ2 or t tests were used to estimate the gender disparities in overweight and socioeconomic status (SES). A series of hierarchical age-period-cohort cross-classified random-effects models were performed using SAS version 9.4 to estimate the overall and gender-specific temporal trends of overweight, as well as the association between SES and overweight. Further, a series of line charts were used to present the age and cohort variations in overweight.ResultsAfter controlling for covariates, significant age and cohort effects were observed among adults in China (b = 0.0205, p < 0.001; b = 0.0122, p < 0.05; respectively). Specifically, inverted U-shaped age effects were identified for both genders, with a high probability of overweight occurring in middle age (b = –0.0012, p < 0.001). Overweight was more prevalent among men than women before 60 years old, and this trend reversed thereafter (b = –0.0253, p < 0.001). Moreover, men born during the war (before 1950) and reform cohorts (after the 1975s) demonstrated a substantial decline in overweight, while men born in 1950–1975 showed an increasing trend in overweight prevalence (b = 0.0378, p < 0.05). However, the cohort effect on women was not statistically significant. Additionally, a higher SES was related to an elevated probability of overweight.ConclusionGender-specific age and cohort effects on the prevalence of overweight were observed among Chinese adults. Both China and other developing countries need to pay attention to the coming obesity challenge and related health inequality. Full life-cycle overweight prevention interventions should focus on middle-aged adults, men born in the war and reform eras, and adults with a higher SES.
Highlights
Overweight is a public health challenge worldwide [1]
It is possible that the overweight prevalence in more recent periods varies less, similar to research in developed countries and a study conducted in Guangdong, China between 2002 and 2010 [39, 40]
In conclusion, the results reveal that overweight prevalence remains stable in recent years, whereas significant gender-specific age and cohort effects were observed among Chinese adults
Summary
Overweight is a public health challenge worldwide [1]. Despite great progress in the prevention and control of obesity and overweight [2], overweight prevalence among male and female adults in China has reached as high as 30.1 and 34.5%, respectively [3]. Robinson et al [22] noted that the baby boomers in the United States showed a higher cohort-specific risk for abdominal obesity Both literature from Australia and China identified that more recent generations or cohorts were at heightened risk for overweight and obesity [20, 23]. These studies highlight the significance of interventions in early life to curb the adulthood overweight epidemic. This study aimed to disentangle the net age, period, and cohort effects on overweight among Chinese adults by gender
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