Measuring Socioeconomic Inequality in Obesity: Looking Beyond the Obesity Threshold

Abstract

We combine two of the most widely used measures in the inequality and poverty literature, the concentration index and Foster–Greer–Thorbecke metric to the analysis of socioeconomic inequality in obesity. This enables us to describe socioeconomic inequality not only in obesity status but also in its depth and severity. We apply our method to 1971–2012 US data and show that while the socioeconomic inequality in obesity status has now almost disappeared, this is not the case when depth and severity of obesity are considered. Such socioeconomic gradient is found to be greatest among non‐Hispanic whites, but decomposition analysis also reveals an inverse relationship between income and obesity outcomes among Mexican Americans once the effect of immigrant status has been accounted for. The socioeconomic gradient is also greater among women with marital status further increasing it for severity of obesity while the opposite is true among men. Overall, the socioeconomic gradient exists as poorer individuals lie further away from the obesity threshold. Our study stresses the need for policies that jointly consider obesity and income to support those who suffer from the double burden of poverty and obesity‐related health conditions. © 2016 The Authors. Health Economics Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Socioeconomic - related inequalities in overweight and obesity: findings from the PERSIAN cohort study

“…Consistent with our results, literature in both developed and developing countries indicates that the factors such as income, marital status, education and physical activity were the major factors explaining socioeconomicrelated inequality in obesity [25,[55][56][57]. In contrast, some studies note that factors such as genetic determinants, environment features, race and family history of obesity can explain the concentration of obesity in a population that should be examined in future studies [58][59][60].…”

“…In the present study, SES was the largest contributing factor to the inequality of overweight and obesity. The positive contribution demonstrates that SES has a major role in the disproportionate distribution of overweight and obesity among the study Age was the largest contributor to the positive socioeconomic inequality among the participants [59]. Also, they found no socioeconomic inequality in obesity for Mexican Hispanics.…”

Socioeconomic Inequalities in the Rise of Adult Obesity: A Time-Trend Analysis of National Examination Data from Germany, 1990–2011

“…Moreover, the present study only considered general obesity status and not obesity severity. A recent US study indicated that trends in obesity inequalities can be stronger for obesity severity than for general obesity status [72]. However, this question was beyond the scope of our analysis.…”

Preface

“…Bilger et al [7] , reported similar conclusions in their recent revision of the literature concerning inequality and poverty. The authors concluded that it is necessary to im-obesity condition.…”