Abstract
While in modern, high-income populations, obesity is associated with being from a low socio-economic background, this may not have always been the case. We test the relationship between obesity and educational level (as a proxy for socio-economic status) in a historical cohort of Dutch military conscripts, from the conscription years 1950–1979. We find that in the 1950s cohort, being in tertiary education was significantly associated with an increased likelihood of being overweight. In contrast, in the 1970s cohort, being in tertiary education was significantly associated with a decreased likelihood of being overweight. We find evidence that the prevalence of obesity remained broadly similar among more highly educated men, while it increased among men of a lower educational level. This likely contributed to the overall rise in the obesity rate. Our findings echo other studies that find a crossover in education’s relationship to BMI as populations become wealthier and obesity rates rise.
Highlights
An increasingly overweight/obese population is one of the biggest public health challenges today: obesity (BMI > 30) and overweight (BMI > 25) are a risk factor for a host of chronic diseases (Devaux, Sassi, Church, Cecchini, & Borgonovi, 2011)
We find that the share of overweight research persons (RPs) in the higher educated group remained relatively stable (6% in the 1950s compared to 4% in the 1970s), whereas the lower educated group sees a sharp increase in the share of overweight RPs (2% in the 1950s compared to 10% in the 1970s)
It is worth noting that the percentage of overweight and higher-educated people increased over our research period
Summary
An increasingly overweight/obese population is one of the biggest public health challenges today: obesity (BMI > 30) and overweight (BMI > 25) are a risk factor for a host of chronic diseases (stroke, heart disease, diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders, certain cancers, etc.) (Devaux, Sassi, Church, Cecchini, & Borgonovi, 2011). Komlos, Breitfelder, and Sunder (2009) argue that this shift began in the mid-century in high-income countries, and is a by-product of nutritional, technological, and cultural shifts. These shifts include: increased television consumption, greater short-distance use of automobiles, a broad move toward service economies, and an increased uptake of higher-calorie foods. This has led to an excess in dietary consumption as lifestyles have become more sedentary (Komlos et al, 2009)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
