Abstract
BackgroundObesity is an important public health issue and its prevalence is reaching epidemic proportions in both developed and developing countries. The aim of the present study was to determine associations of overweight (OW), obesity (OB) and abdominal obesity (AO) with marital status and educational level in Greek adults of both genders based on data from the National Epidemiological Survey on the prevalence of obesity.MethodsThe selection was conducted by stratified sampling through household family members of Greek children attending school during 2003. A total of 17,341 Greek men and women aged from 20 to 70 years participated in the survey and had anthropometric measurements (height, weight, and waist circumference) for the calculation of prevalence of OW, OB and AO. WHO cut-offs were used to define overweight and obesity categories. Waist circumference of more than 102 cm in men and 88 cm in women defined AO. Marital status and educational level were recorded using a specially designed questionnaire and were classified into 4 categories.ResultsThe overall prevalence of OB was 22.3% (25.8% in men, 18.4% in women), that of OW 35.2% (41.0% in men, 29.8% in women) and that of AO 26.4% in men and 35.9% in women. Ahigher risk of OB was found in married men (OR: 2.28; 95% CI: 1.85-2.81) and married women (OR: 2.31; 95% CI: 1.73-3.10) than in the respective unmarried ones. Also, a higher risk of AO was found in married men (OR: 3.40; 95% CI: 2.86-4.03) and in married women (OR: 2.40; 95% CI 2.00-2.88) compared to unmarried ones. The risk for being obese was lower among educated women (primary school, OR: 0.76; 95% CI: 0.60-0.96, high school, OR: 0.58; 95% CI: 0.46-0.74 and University, OR: 0.64; 95% CI: 0.49-0.81) than among illiterates. No significant differences were found among men.ConclusionsIn Greek adults, marital status was significantly associated with obesity and abdominal obesity status in both genders while educational level was inversely associated with obesity status only in women.
Highlights
Obesity is an important public health issue and its prevalence is reaching epidemic proportions in both developed and developing countries
The aim of the present study was to evaluate overweight, obesity and abdominal obesity associated to marital status and education level in both genders based on the data analysis of the first epidemiological nationwide survey in adults conducted in Greece [14]
Νο 2-way or 3-way interactions among levels of gender, age group, marital status and education level were significant for this first set of logistic regressions (p > 0.05 for all cases)
Summary
Obesity is an important public health issue and its prevalence is reaching epidemic proportions in both developed and developing countries. Educational level is stable, can be assessed for all individuals and is useful across the age spectrum (including among those who are retired or disabled). This indicator does not always reflect the current financial situation of a subject but in most cases reflects its social status. Lower skill attainment has been shown in obese children compared to normal-weight in some studies, which can affect the educational level they reach [5] We chose this indicator for our Greek population characterised by patriarchal, traditional views and nuclear families, because it is more “ and frankly” reported in contrast to other indicators such as income or poverty status. In developed societies accumulated evidence suggests an inverse relationship between educational level and BMI among women [6,7]
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