Socioeconomic Inequality in Overweight/Obesity and Related Factors in Adolescents in Kermanshah-Iran

Overweight/obesity is increasing in both developing and developed countries. Its socioeconomic determinants have been well studied in developed countries. It has been reported that the family socioeconomic status is associated with overweight/obesity in childhood and adolescence. However, socioeconomic inequality has not been studied sufficiently in developing countries.
This study aimed to determine the status of socioeconomic inequality in overweight/obese high school students and its related factors in Kermanshah, Iran.
Within a cross-sectional study and using stratified cluster random sampling, 1440 students in the academic year of 2015 - 16 were selected from all high schools in Kermanshah, Iran. To collect data, we used a demographic, socioeconomic status, and nutritional status questionnaire. Height and weight of the participants were measured and the status of obesity was determined by calculating body mass index (BMI). The concentration index and a concentration curve were used for the measurement of inequality. We used multinomial logistic regression to investigate the factors associated with obesity. The collected data were analyzed using Stata 11 software.
The mean age of 1445 students participating in the study was 16.35 ± 0.84 years. Of all, 51.63% (746 students) were female and the rest were male. The median of BMI was 20.54 kg/m2 (IQR = 4.32) in female participants, 21.20 (IQR = 4.42) in male participants, and 20.76 kg/m2 (IQR = 4.49) in all the participants. Concerning asset index, Concentration Index for overweight/obesity was 0.09 in girls (95% CI: -0.14 - 0.33), -0.02 in boys (95% CI: -0.14 - 0.09), and 0.01 in the entire participants (95% CI: -0.13 - 0.17). The odds of overweight/obesity in males was 1.81 times higher than that in females; the odds of overweight/obesity in those consuming high-fat food was 1.61 times higher than that of people not consuming high-fat diet.
Overweight/obesity is more prevalent in adolescents with low socioeconomic level; this indicates the shift of the problem to the poorer groups of the community. Predominance of boys and the use of high-fat foods are affecting obesity/overweight; therefore, it must be considered in all health policy interventions.