Abstract
Body mass index (BMI) has increased in Sweden, disproportionally for socially disadvantaged groups, including women, low-educated, and immigrants, who may also face economic constraints, physical inactivity, and poor-quality diets. Intersectional public health research aims to unravel such complex social inequalities, but the intersectional transmission of inequalities to BMI remains unexplored. We aimed to examine intersectional inequalities in BMI mediated by economic strain and health-related lifestyle in the Swedish population. By using the Health on Equal Terms cross-sectional surveys in 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2021 (n = 44,177 inhabitants aged 25 and over), we performed an intersectional mediation analysis to analyze how inequalities across social intersectional strata (by gender, education, and migration status) may be transmitted through economic strain and unhealthy lifestyle (physical inactivity or inadequate fruit/vegetables consumption) to BMI. Our findings showed a sequential transmission that indicates the fact that socially disadvantaged strata (compared with high-educated native men) experienced more economic strain, which in turn led to poorer health-related lifestyles and ultimately to a higher BMI. We also found that certain intersectional strata, such as high-educated women, were more vulnerable to economic strain, despite having lower BMI than high-educated native men. Additionally, the highest BMI and unhealthy lifestyle risk was observed among low- and middle-educated men. In conclusion, not only inequalities in BMI, but also the economic and behavioral pathways underpinning the inequalities, act by intersectional patterns. Public health interventions should provide economic security, particularly for women and migrant population as well as promoting a healthy lifestyle in lower-educated strata, especially among men, to achieve healthy BMI levels.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: 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.