Socioeconomic Inequalities in Metabolic Syndrome by Age and Gender in a Spanish Working Population

Abstract

Lower socio-economic status (SES) is significantly associated with metabolic syndrome (MS) prevalence, possibly affecting women more than men, although evidence in Spain is still limited. The present cross-sectional study analyzed the association between MS and SES by age and gender among 42,146 working adults living in the Balearic Islands (Spain). Prevalence was higher in men (9.4% by ATP-III; 12.3% by IDF) than women (3.8% by ATP-III; 5.7% by IDF) and in the lower social class (7.9% by ATP-III; 10.7% by IDF) than the higher (4.1% by ATP-III; 5.9% by IDF). The SES gradient in MS prevalence was larger in women (PR 95% CI: 3.38, 2.50–4.58 by ATP-III; 3.06, 2.43–3.86 by IDF) than in men (1.23, 1.06–1.41 by ATP-III; 1.15, 1.03–1.30 by IDF) and was already evident from early adulthood, reaching the highest ratio at the late stages of middle adulthood (4.34, 1.11–16.98). Among men, it was significant during the late stages of early adulthood only (1.80, 1.19–2.73). Lower SES influenced MS prevalence in both genders, however, women seemed more affected than men. From a public health perspective, SES could be strongly associated with the burden of MS; in an effort to reduce its prevalence, public health policies should focus on gender differences in socio-economic inequality and consider women with low socio-economic resources as a priority.

Associação entre síndrome metabólica e categoria profissional: estudo transversal com profissionais de Enfermagem

“…Recursos limitados impelem o consumo de alimentos de menor custo, porém de maior teor calórico, o que favorece o desenvolvimento da resistência à insulina, hipertrigliceridemia e ganho de peso corporal. Além do acesso à alimentação, a menor renda também pode interferir na possibilidade de praticar atividades físicas e de lazer, aumentando o risco de SM (31) .…”

“…Occupation determines the level of remuneration, which in turn, is associated with MS. Limited resources drive the consumption of lower-cost food products, but with higher caloric contents, which favors the development of insulin resistance, hypertriglyceridemia and body weight gain. In addition to access to food, lower incomes can also interfere with the possibility of practicing physical and leisure activities, increasing the risk of MS 31 .…”

Effect of a Community Gerontology Program on the Control of Metabolic Syndrome in Mexican Older Adults

“…Among the perspectives for future studies focused on the prevention of MS during aging, we must consider the influence of eating habits, such as the consumption of fruits and vegetables and high-calorie intake during dinner [ 45 , 46 ], the gut microbiota profile [ 47 ], the characteristics of social support networks [ 48 ], socioeconomic inequalities, age and gender [ 49 ], as well as the relationship and prognosis of the components of the metabolic syndrome with successful aging [ 50 ].…”

Asociación entre síndrome metabólico y categoría profesional: estudio transversal con profesionales de enfermería

“…Los recursos limitados impulsan el consumo de alimentos de menor costo, pero con mayor contenido calórico, lo que favorece el desarrollo de resistencia a la insulina, hipertrigliceridemia y aumento de peso corporal. Además del acceso a la alimentación, un menor ingreso también puede interferir en la posibilidad de practicar actividad física y realizar actividades de ocio, aumentando el riesgo de SM (31) .…”