Trends in obesity prevalence among Brazilian adults from 2002 to 2013 by educational level

Abstract

Background Obesity ranks as a major public health problem in many countries in the world. The obesity-socioeconomic status relationship is not well established in middle-income countries. Methods The aim of this study was to estimate the obesity and overweight trends from 2002 to 2013 by sex, age, and educational levels among Brazilian adults. The panel prevalence trend study was conducted, considering the sample weights and study design. Three nationwide surveys were analyzed: the Household Budget Survey 2002/2003 and 2008/2009, and the National Health Survey 2013. The total sample was 234,791 adults aged 20–59 years. Results The prevalence of obesity increased from 7.5 to 17.0% from 2002 to 2013 among adults aged 20–39 years and from 14.7 to 25.7% among those aged 40–59 years, slightly higher among young women. In each survey, education was positively associated with the prevalence of obesity among men, whereas this association was negative among women. The greatest increase in the prevalence of obesity was 90% (11.9 to 22.5%) and occurred from 2008 to 2013 among women with secondary educational level, whereas at the pre-primary level there was a 42% (20.4 to 29.0%) increase. Conclusions Obesity prevalence in Brazil continued to increase, mostly among women with secondary education. Policies aimed at reducing the prevalence of obesity should consider sociodemographic characteristics in the population.

Association between obesity and education level among the elderly in Taipei, Taiwan between 2013 and 2015: a cross-sectional study

“…According to past index studies and recent literature that does not consider individuals’ ages, the results of developing countries and developed countries with regard to obesity prevalence have been distinct. A positive association between obesity and education level has been more common among men in lower-income countries, but an inverse association has been more common among women in lower-income countries and in both sexes in higher-income countries 12 – 16 , 25 – 28 . Taiwan is classified as a high-income economy by the World Bank and as an advanced economy by the International Monetary Fund 29 , 30 .…”

Pre-Conception Maternal Food Intake and the Association with Childhood Allergies

“…Not surprisingly, the diet quality in the areas of low socioeconomic status is poor [29]. Additionally, more than a third of these women were obese, which is associated with low socioeconomic status [30], poor diet quality [31] and the development of atopy [32]. The burden of environmental risk factors is impacted by socioeconomic position, highlighting the need to address such modifiable behaviours, particularly before and during pregnancy, to optimize the health of their offspring.…”

Factors Underlying Food Choice Motives in a Brazilian Sample: The Association with Socioeconomic Factors and Risk Perceptions about Chronic Diseases

“…If the person thinks he/she is in control of the situation, he/she probably believes that his/her actions can increase the chances of a positive outcome [19]. This explains why the perception of risk about weight gain was lower than the risk perception of having diabetes and hypertension, despite Brazil ranking third in the world for the absolute number of obese adult men and the fifth position for the number of obese women during 2014 [47]. Some differences in the perceived risk were observed among different food choices clusters, which is further discussed.…”