Measures Of Social Position Research Articles

Does the association between adiposity measures and pre-frailty among older adults vary by social position? Findings from the Tromsø study 2015/2016

IntroductionPre-frailty provides an ideal opportunity to prevent physical frailty and promote healthy ageing. Excess adiposity has been associated with an increased risk of pre-frailty, but limited studies have explored whether the association between adiposity measures and pre-frailty varies by social position.MethodsWe used data from the seventh survey of the Tromsø Study (Tromsø7) conducted in 2015–2016. Our primary sample consisted of 2,945 women and 2,794 men aged ≥ 65 years. Pre-frailty was defined as the presence of one or two of the five frailty components: low grip strength, slow walking speed, exhaustion, unintentional weight loss and low physical activity. Adiposity was defined by body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), fat mass index (FMI) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) mass. Education and subjective social position were used as measures of social position. Poisson regression with robust variance was used to assess the association between adiposity measures and pre-frailty, and the interaction term between adiposity measures and social position measures were utilised to explore whether the association varied by social position.ResultsIn our sample, 28.7% of women and 25.5% of men were pre-frail. We found sub-multiplicative interaction of BMI-defined obesity with education in women and subjective social position in men with respect to development of pre-frailty. No other adiposity measures showed significant variation by education or subjective social position. Regardless of the levels of education or subjective social position, participants with excess adiposity (high BMI, high WC, high FMI and high VAT mass) had a higher risk of pre-frailty compared to those with low adiposity.ConclusionWe consistently observed that women and men with excess adiposity had a greater risk of pre-frailty than those with low adiposity, with only slight variation by social position. These results emphasize the importance of preventing excess adiposity to promote healthy ageing and prevent frailty among all older adults across social strata.

Comparison of social gradient in cardiometabolic health in Czechia and Venezuela: a cross-sectional study

ObjectivesThis study compared the relationships of social determinants with cardiometabolic risk in different socioeconomic contexts: sociopolitically unstable Venezuela (VE) and stable Czechia (CZ).Design: cross-sectional analysis involving two population-based studies.SettingBrno, Czechia...

Social position and economic system justification in Canada: Implications for advancing health equity and social justice from an exploratory study of factors shaping economic system justification.

Many socio-economic reforms that could reduce health disparities are not implemented because people justify existing systems and fear changes thereto. This study aimed to identify socio-demographic factors associated with system justifying beliefs to better understand how they are maintained in Canada. In doing so, we hypothesized that (1) systems justification is a default cognitive position, buttressed by the palliative benefits of system-justification, (2) lack of success in a given system generally motivates people to doubt the legitimacy of that system, and (3) system-justifying beliefs are rejected only when the costs of doing so are low enough and/or the benefits are high enough to outweigh the innate needs-fulfillment benefits of system-justification. Testing these hypotheses, we recruited participants living in Canada, aged 16+, to complete an online survey after being recruited via paid social media advertisements. Multivariable regression models identified factors associated with Economic System Justification Scale (ESJS) scores. Explanatory variables included demographic measures of social position, self-rated health, and patterns of social inclusion. Among 2,619 participants, system-justifying beliefs were wide-spread, with the average level of support across ESJS scale items exceeding 50%. Lower ESJS scores were associated with worse health, more loneliness, and lower socioeconomic status. Despite the pattern that marginalization erodes system-justification, several historically marginalized characteristics (e.g., non-white ethnicity and non-binary gender) were associated with relatively high system-justification, compared to matching privileged characteristics (e.g., white ethnicity; masculine gender). Supporting our hypotheses, we identify a general trend that social marginalization is associated with less system-justification. Those benefitting from the status quo (e.g., healthier, wealthier, less lonely) were more likely to hold system-justifying beliefs. However, some groups who are disadvantaged within the existing system reported higher system-justification-suggesting that system oppression may be a key moderator of the effect of social position on system justification.

Monitoring Health Inequalities in 12 European Countries: Lessons Learned from the Joint Action Health Equity Europe.

To raise awareness about health inequalities, a well-functioning health inequality monitoring system (HIMS) is crucial. Drawing on work conducted under the Joint Action Health Equity Europe, the aim of this paper is to illustrate the strengths and weaknesses in current health inequality monitoring based on lessons learned from 12 European countries and to discuss what can be done to strengthen their capacities. Fifty-five statements were used to collect information about the status of the capacities at different steps of the monitoring process. The results indicate that the preconditions for monitoring vary greatly between countries. The availability and quality of data are generally regarded as strong, as is the ability to disaggregate data by age and gender. Regarded as poorer is the ability to disaggregate data by socioeconomic factors, such as education and income, or by other measures of social position, such as ethnicity. Few countries have a proper health inequality monitoring strategy in place and, where in place, it is often regarded as poorly up to date with policymakers’ needs. These findings suggest that non-data-related issues might be overlooked aspects of health inequality monitoring. Structures for stakeholder involvement and communication that attracts attention from policymakers are examples of aspects that deserve more effort.

The Role of Social Position Within Peer Groups in Distress-Motivated Smoking Among Adolescents

The relationship between smoking and adolescents' peer relationships is complex, with studies showing increased risk of smoking for adolescents of both very high and very low social position. A key question is whether the impact of social position on smoking depends on an adolescent's level of coping motives (i.e., their desire to use smoking to mitigate negative affect). We assessed how social position predicts nicotine dependence in a longitudinal sample (N = 3,717; 44.8% male; mean age = 13.41 years) of adolescent lifetime smokers measured between 6th and 12th grades. Using both social network analysis and multilevel modeling, we assessed this question at the between-person and within-person level, hypothesizing that within-person decreases in social position would lead to increased risk of nicotine dependence among those with high levels of coping motives. In contrast to our hypotheses, only interactions with the between-person measures of social position were found, with a slight negative relationship at low levels of coping motives. In addition, the main effect of coping motives was considerably stronger than that of social position at the between-person level, and social position had no significant within-person main effect on nicotine dependence risk. These results suggest that adolescents with higher overall levels of social position among their peers may have slightly decreased risk for nicotine dependence, but only when coping motives are low. Counter to expectations, higher levels of nicotine dependence risk were not linked to fluctuations in social position.

Subjective social status and cardiometabolic risk markers in young adults

BackgroundLow subjective social status (SSS), the perceived status in the social hierarchy, is associated with cardiometabolic risk in middle-aged and older adults. However, most studies are cross-sectional and very little is known about the association in adolescence and young adulthood. The aims of this study were; a) to prospectively investigate the association between SSS at ages 15 and 28 and cardiometabolic risk at age 28–30 and b) to examine if such an association was independent of smoking, physical activity and objective measures of social position. MethodsThe study used questionnaire information at ages 15 and 28 from the West Jutland Cohort Study (N = 3681), health measurements from a sub-sample of the cohort (N = 264, age 28–30, 50% women) and information from population-based national registers. The independent variable was a measure of SSS evaluated by a 10-rung ladder scale and dichotomized at the 25th percentile of data from the cohort study population. The outcome measure was a composite score of cardiometabolic risk including measures of lipids, inflammation, blood pressure and glucose-metabolism. Co-variates included smoking, physical activity, childhood and adulthood socioeconomic position. Sex-stratified linear regression analyses were performed to evaluate the associations between SSS and cardiometabolic risk. ResultsIn both sexes, low SSS at age 28, but not at age 15, was significantly associated with increased cardiometabolic risk at age 28–30. Neither smoking, physical activity, childhood or adulthood objective socioeconomic position fully explained the associations. ConclusionIn young adulthood, SSS was inversely related to cardiometabolic risk after accounting for smoking, physical activity and objective measures of socioeconomic position. These findings suggest that SSS could play a role in the social disparities in cardiometabolic risk in addition to traditional measures of socioeconomic position.

Social position and functional somatic disorders: The DanFunD study.

It is generally accepted that functional somatic disorders (FSDs) are a product of biological, psychological, and social factors. Social position might be part of this complex, but the literature on this issue is currently heterogeneous and inconsistent. The aim of the present study was - in a population-based cohort - to test the hypothesis that lower social position would be associated with higher a risk of FSD. The association between social position and FSD was examined in a cross-sectional study with various measures of social position (education as measured by vocational training; employment; cohabitation; subjective social status) and delimitations of FSD (irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, bodily distress syndrome, and symptom profiles). The associations were analyzed using logistic regressions to calculate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Each social measure was analyzed independently and was adjusted for age and sex. Lower levels of vocational training, being unemployed, and living alone were associated with higher risk of FSD, regardless of the FSD delimitation. There was also a significant negative association between subjective evaluated social status and FSD. The associations remained after multiple adjustments, and seemed to be strongest for the more severe FSD-types. Lower social position is associated with higher risk of FSD, especially the more severe FSD delimitations, which might constitute an especially vulnerable group. However, the mechanisms behind the relations remain unknown.

112Neighbourhood environment and health-related quality of life, Limassol, Cyprus

Abstract Background The extent and magnitude of socio-geographical inequalities in health in Cyprus is not clear as neither “place” nor “health inequalities” feature on the public health agenda. Methods In the context of a wider Neighbourhood Environment and Health programme, the magnitude of inequality in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among Limassol citizens was explored in a door-to-door SF-36 survey of residents aged 45-64 (N = 450, 50:50 gender quota) across 45 randomly selected neighbourhoods stratified by socio-economic disadvantage and profiled using a culturally-adapted Systematic Social Observation neighbourhood audit tool. Results The social gradient was steeper for physical than mental component scores of HRQoL irrespective of the indicator of social position. Education and income captured the gradient better in women, and occupational-based social class in men, with large effect (0.7-1 SD) on the SF-36 scale at opposite ends of the continuum. Lower HRQoL and more adverse health behaviours observed in disadvantaged neighborhoods according to census area-level measures and neighbourhood audit profiles, with generally larger differences in women. Conclusions This study profiled the variability in the urban neighbourhood environment,and documented the magnitude of social gradient in health and health-related quality of life in a representative sample of late working-life population in Cyprus. Key messages Social gradient in health behaviours and quality of life in late working-life Cypriot population. Gradient apparent in both men and women across individual and neighborhood measures of social position.

Family policy and food insecurity: an observational analysis in 142 countries

SummaryBackgroundLevels of child malnutrition and hunger across the world have decreased substantially over the past century, and this has had an important role in reducing mortality and improving health. However, progress has stalled. We examined whether family policies (eg, cash transfers from governments that aim to support households with children) are associated with reduced food insecurity.MethodsIn this observational analysis, we used a dataset of individual-level data that captured experience-based measures of food insecurity and sociodemographic characteristics collected by the Gallup World Poll in 142 countries for 2014–17. We then combined this dataset with indicators of the type and generosity of family policies in these countries, taken from the University of California, Los Angeles’ World Policy Analysis Center. We used multilevel regression models to examine the association between the presence of family policies for households with children and the probability of reporting moderate or severe food insecurity or severe food insecurity (moderate or severe food insecurity was defined as a “yes” response to at least four of eight questions on the Gallup Food Insecurity Experience Scale, and severe food insecurity was defined as a “yes” response to at least seven questions). We controlled for multiple covariates, including individual-level measures of social position and country-level measures, such as gross domestic product. We further examined whether this association varied by household income level.FindingsUsing data from 503 713 households, we found that, on average, moderate or severe food insecurity is 4·09 percentage points (95% CI 3·50–4·68) higher in households with at least one child younger than 15 years than in households with no children and severe food insecurity is 2·20 percentage points (1·76–2·63) higher. However, the additional risk of food insecurity among households with children is lower in countries that provide financial support (either means-tested or universal) for families than for countries with little or no financial assistance. These policies not only reduce food insecurity on average, but they also reduce inequalities in food insecurity by benefiting the poorest households most.InterpretationIn some countries, family policies have been cut back in the past decade and such retrenchment might expose low-income households to increased risk of food insecurity. By increasing investment in family policies, progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 2, zero hunger, might be accelerated and, in turn, improve health for all.FundingWellcome Trust.

Health inequality monitoring - measuring what and how, exactly?

Abstract The output from health inequality monitoring systems at the national level should be comparable across countries to enable judgements about how health inequalities evolves in the EU. Such comparability presumes a common approach to what kind of data should be compiled, what indicators to focus and what measures to use. Hence, there are many decisions to be made and to agree upon. Only in terms of possible indicators, there is an overwhelming number of possibilities. This is confusing and could easily lead to diverging conclusions on how health inequalities develop within and across countries over time. As part of the Joint Action Health Equity Europe and the work conducted in work package five on monitoring, a core health inequality indicator set is being developed. The set should include a small number of indicators and contain information on health, on social determinants of health and on some measure of social position, preferably education. The indicator set should be based on data already reported to EU and liaised with other indicator initiatives. The final set will be proposed to be included on available EC platforms and specific websites as indicators of health inequalities. Such an indicator set will facilitate valid judgements on how health inequalities evolves in countries and in the EU. In this presentation, we will learn more about the proposed JAHEE indicator set, and about the work process. We will also get a chance to reflect on and discuss the proposed indicators and measures. The auditorium will be invited to reflect on conclusions.

Development and validation of a social position measure in Greece

Abstract Background A valid measure of social position is important for investigating health inequalities. The registrar general classification is not theoretically based or validated and it is based only on occupation. On the other hand, the National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (NS-SeC) distinguishes between different social positions in terms of both their typical labour market and work situations. The aim of this study was to validate the NS-SeC in a Greek population. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2018 in Athens, Greece. Participants were classified in one of the seven social position classes of NS-SeC based on their responses to questions related to their occupation, employment status (employer, self-employed or employee), supervisor or manager and number of employees in the workplace. Participants were also asked to rate their general health over the previous 12 months in one of three categories: “good”, “fairly good”, or “not good”. The multivariable logistic regression model was used to investigate the predictive validity of NS-SeC. Results 73 individuals with a mean age 43.2 (sd = 11.5) participated in the study. The 46.6% of the participants belonged to the class “managerial and professional occupations”, the 20.5% to the class “intermediate occupations”, while the 31.5% belonged to the class “routine and manual occupations”. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) for “fairly good” or “not good” general health was five times higher in the “routine and manual occupations” in comparison to the combine group of the other two classes (OR: 5.1; 95% Confidence Interval: 1.4-18.2). Conclusions The Greek version of NS-SeC has an excellent predictive validity and it is considered a valid measure of social position in a Greek population. Therefore, it can be used by public health authorities and public health researchers to investigate health inequalities attributed to socio-economic conditions. Key messages The Greek National Statistics Socio-economic Classification is a valid measure of socio-economic position. The Greek National Statistics Socio-economic Classification could be used by public health authorities and public health researchers to investigate health inequalities.

Health-Related Quality of Life across a Variety of Community Contexts

There is increasing interest in the socioeconomic determinants of health and well-being. Efforts to date have focused on the associations between measures of social position and objective measures of health. However, health can also be gauged using subjective measures such as health-related quality of life (HRQOL), while other social determinants, such as neighbourhood factors, appear largely neglected. The aim of this study was to estimate the relationship between HRQOL (as measured by the WHOQoL questionnaire) and both social position (as measured by the New Zealand Deprivation (NZDep) index) and participants’ perceptions about their home neighbourhood. A total of 746 participants living in areas with six different NZDep scores completed a survey probing HRQOL, problems in the neighbourhood, and perceptions of amenity. Results showed that people living in wealthier areas reported better HRQOL, and that amenity ratings mediated the relationship. The study’s findings have implications for researchers interested in the social determinants of health and the operationalisation of these social indicators and health in that health outcomes depended on perceived amenity rather than absolute wealth.

Social position and geriatric syndromes among Swedish older people: a population-based study

BackgroundOlder people with a low social position are at higher risk of poor health outcomes compared to those with a higher social position. Whether lower social position also increases the risk of geriatric syndromes (GSs) remains to be determined. This study investigates the association of social position with GSs among older community-dwellers.MethodsThree consecutive population-based health surveys in 2006, 2010 and 2014 among older community-dwellers (age 65–84 years) in Stockholm County were combined (n = 17,612) and linked with Swedish administrative registry information. Social position was assessed using registry information (i.e. education, country of origin and civil status) and by self-reports (i.e. type of housing and financial stress). GSs were assessed by self-reports of the following conditions: insomnia, urinary incontinence, functional decline, falls, depressive disorder, hearing or vision problems. Binomial logistic regression analyses were used to estimate the association between social position and GSs after adjusting for age, sex, health status, health behavior and social stress.ResultsThe prevalence of GSs was 70.0%, but varied across GSs and ranged from 1.9% for depression to 39.1% for insomnia. Living in rented accommodation, being born outside the Nordic countries, being widowed or divorced were associated with GS presence. Financial stress was most strongly associated with GSs (adjusted odds ratio, 2.59; 95% CI, 2.13–3.15).ConclusionGSs are highly prevalent among older Swedish community-dwellers with wide variations across syndromes and strong association with all measures of social position, most strikingly that of experiencing financial stress.

Self-rated health, subjective social status in school and socioeconomic status in adolescents: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundSocial position, traditionally measured by objective data on socioeconomic status (SES), is linked to health status in adults. In adolescents, the association is more uncertain and there are some studies suggesting that subjective social status (SSS) might be more adequate in relation to health. This study aimed to examine associations between SSS in school, SES and self-rated health (SRH) in adolescent boys and girls.MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional research design with quantitative survey data was used. The study involved 705 Swedish adolescents in upper secondary school (17–18-year-olds). SRH was measured with a single-item question and SSS by a question where adolescents were asked to assess their social position within their school. Formal education level of the parents was used as a proxy for objective SES. Univariable and multivariable ordinal regression analyses were conducted to assess the associations between SRH and SSS in school and SES.ResultsIn the multivariable analysis, SSS in school was positively associated with SRH, whereas no significant association between SES and SRH was found. The proportion of adolescents with high SRH increased with higher steps on the SSS ladder. Significant gender differences were found in that boys rated their SRH and SSS in school higher than girls did.ConclusionsThe study shows that self-rated health in adolescents is related to perceived social position in school. Subjective social status in school seems to be a useful health-related measure of social position in adolescents.

Class, status and lifestyle: on omnivores, distinction, and the measurement of social position

Class, status and lifestyle: on omnivores, distinction, and the measurement of social position

The Relationship between Income and Oral Health: A Critical Review

In this critical review, we summarized the evidence on associations between individual/household income and oral health, between income inequality and oral health, and income-related inequalities in oral health. Meta-analyses of mainly cross-sectional studies confirm that low individual/household income is associated with oral cancer (odds ratio, 2.41; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.59–3.65), dental caries prevalence (prevalence ratio, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.18–1.41), any caries experience (odds ratio, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.19–1.65), tooth loss (odds ratio, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.48–1.86), and traumatic dental injuries (odds ratio, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.65–0.89). Reviews also confirm qualitatively that low income is associated with periodontal disease and poor oral health–related quality of life. Limited evidence from the United States shows that psychosocial and behavioral explanations only partially explain associations between low individual/household income and oral health. Few country-level studies and a handful of subnational studies from the United States, Japan, and Brazil show associations between area-level income inequality and poor oral health. However, this evidence is conflicting given that the association between area-level income inequality and oral health outcomes varies considerably by contexts and by oral health outcomes. Evidence also shows cross-national variations in income-related inequalities in oral health outcomes of self-rated oral health, dental care, oral health–related quality of life, outcomes of dental caries, and outcomes of tooth loss. There is a lack of discussion in oral health literature about limitations of using income as a measure of social position. Future studies on the relationship between income and oral health can benefit substantially from recent theoretical and methodological advancements in social epidemiology that include application of an intersectionality framework, improvements in reporting of inequality, and causal modeling approaches. Theoretically well-informed studies that apply robust epidemiological methods are required to address knowledge gaps for designing relevant policy interventions to reduce income-related inequalities in oral health.

Associations between socio-economic factors and alcohol consumption: A population survey of adults in England.

AimTo gain a better understanding of the complex relationships of different measures of social position, educational level and income with alcohol consumption in England.MethodBetween March 2014 and April 2018 data were collected on n = 57,807 alcohol drinkers in England taking part in the Alcohol Toolkit Study (ATS). Respondents completed the AUDIT-C measure of frequency of alcohol consumption, amount consumed on a typical day and binge drinking frequency. The first two questions were used to derive a secondary measure of quantity: average weekly unit consumption. Socio-economic factors measured were: social-grade (based on occupation), employment status, educational qualifications, home and car ownership and income. Models were constructed using ridge regression to assess the contribution of each predictor taking account of high collinearity. Models were adjusted for age, gender and ethnicity.ResultsThe strongest predictor of frequency of alcohol consumption was social-grade. Those in the two lowest occupational categories of social grade (e.g. semi-skilled and unskilled manual workers, and unemployed, pensioners, casual workers) has fewer drinking occasions than those in professional-managerial occupations (β = -0.29, 95%CI -0.34 to -0.25; β = -0.31, 95%CI -0.33 to -0.29). The strongest predictor of consumed volume and binge drinking frequency was lower educational attainment: those whose highest qualification was an A-level (i.e. college/high school qualification) drank substantially more on a typical day (β = 0.28, 95%CI 0.25 to 0.31) and had a higher weekly unit intake (β = 3.55, 95%CI 3.04 to 4.05) than those with a university qualification. They also reported a higher frequency of binge drinking (β = 0.11, 95%CI 0.09 to 0.14). Housing tenure was a strong predictor of all drinking outcomes, while employment status and car ownership were the weakest predictors of most outcomes.ConclusionSocial-grade and educational attainment appear to be the strongest socioeconomic predictors of alcohol consumption indices in England, followed closely by housing tenure. Employment status and car ownership have the lowest predictive power.

Innovative technologies and social inequalities in health: A scoping review of the literature.

The aim of this study was to systematically review the range, nature, and extent of current research activity exploring the influence of innovative health-related technologies on social inequalities in health, with specific focus on a deeper understanding of the variables used to measure this connection and the pathways leading to the (re)production of inequalities. A review process was conducted, based on scoping review techniques, searching literature published from January 1, 1996 to November 25, 2016 using MEDLINE, Scopus, and ISI web of science. Search, sorting, and data extraction processes were conducted by a team of researchers and experts using a dynamic, reflexive examination process. Of 4139 studies collected from the search process, a total of 33 were included in the final analysis. Results of this study include the classification of technologies based on how these technologies are accessed and used by end users. In addition to the factors and mechanisms that influence unequal access to technologies, the results of this study highlight the importance of variations in use that importantly shape social inequalities in health. Additionally, focus on health care services technologies must be accompanied by investigating emerging technologies influencing healthy lifestyle, genomics, and personalized devices in health. Findings also suggest that choosing one measure of social position over another has important implications for the interpretation of research results. Furthermore, understanding the pathways through which various innovative health technologies reduce or (re)produce social inequalities in health is context dependent. In order to better understand social inequalities in health, these contextual variations draw attention to the need for critical distinctions between technologies based on how these various technologies are accessed and used. The results of this study provide a comprehensive starting point for future research to further investigate how innovative technologies may influence the unequal distribution of health as a human right.

The Association Between Women's Social Position and the Medicalization of Female Genital Cutting in Egypt.

Medicalization of female genital cutting (i.e., having the procedure done by a medical professional) has increased in Egypt in recent years. The relationship between a woman's social position and the decision to use a trained health professional to perform genital cutting is not well understood. Data from the 2005, 2008 and 2014 Egypt Demographic Health Surveys on 11,455 women whose daughter had undergone female genital cutting were used to examine relationships between mothers' social position and medicalization. Logistic regression models were used to identify associations between measures of social position and the decision to have genital cutting done by a trained provider. Seventy-nine percent of women had had their daughter cut by a trained health professional. The odds of medicalization were greater among women who had a primary education (odds ratio, 1.2) or a secondary or higher education (1.8) rather than no education; who lived in wealthier households rather than in the poorest ones (1.4-2.6); and who shared decision making on large household purchases rather than had no say in such decisions (1.2). In addition, working for pay and the magnitude of the age difference between women and their husband were negatively associated with medicalization (0.99 and 0.9, respectively). A woman's social position in Egypt is associated with medicalization of her daughter's genital cutting. Research is needed to explore the social meaning attributed to medicalized genital cutting, which may inform campaigns that could decrease the prevalence of the procedure.

Obesity-Related Behaviors among Poor Adolescents and Young Adults: Is Social Position Associated with Risk Behaviors?

HighlightsDifferent measures of social position capture unique dimensions of relative rank among youth.Youth-specific measures of social position may be important in identifying the most at-risk for obesity.Lower social status youth are more likely to be at-risk for obesity-related behaviors compared to those with a higher rank.This cross-sectional study examines multiple dimensions of social position in relation to obesity-related behaviors in an adolescent and young adult population. In addition to using conventional measures of social position, including parental education and household expenditures, we explore the usefulness of three youth-specific measures of social position – community and society subjective social status and school dropout status. Data are taken from a 2004 house-to-house survey of urban households within the bottom 20th percentile of income distribution within seven states in Mexico. A total of 5,321 Mexican adolescents, aged 12–22 years, provided information on obesity-related behaviors (e.g., diet, physical activity, sedentary behavior) and indicators of subjective and objective social position. A parent in each household provided information on socioeconomic status of the parent and household. Ordinal logistic regressions are used to estimate the associations of parental, household and adolescent indicators of social position and obesity-related risk behaviors. Those adolescents with the highest odds of adopting obesity risk behaviors were the ones who perceived themselves as lower in social status in reference to their peer community and those who had dropped out of school. We found no significant associations between parental education or household expenditures and obesity-related risk behaviors. Immediate social factors in adolescents’ lives may have a strong influence on their health-related behaviors. This study provides evidence for the usefulness of two particular measures, both of which are youth-specific. Adolescents and young adults who have dropped out of school and those with lower perceived relative social position within their community are more likely to be at-risk for obesity-related behaviors than those with higher relative social position. We conclude that youth-specific measures may be important in identifying the most at-risk among relatively homogeneous populations of youth.