scholarly journals Social inequality in obesity in an Eastern Mediterranean population: a national health survey

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
A Quattrocchi ◽  
O Kolokotroni ◽  
C A Demetriou ◽  
A Charalambous ◽  
A Heraclides
Keyword(s):  
Social Class ◽  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Household Income ◽  
Social Inequalities ◽  
Health Behaviours ◽  
Mediterranean Population ◽  
Obesity Prevalence ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Occupational Social Class ◽  
Gender Specific

Abstract Background This study aimed to explore socioeconomic factors associated with obesity in the Republic of Cyprus. Methods We interviewed 3021 Greek-Cypriots aged 25-64 years through a multistage survey. We collected self-reported information on demographics, health behaviours (physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption and dietary intake), socio-economic characteristics (educational attainment, household income and occupational social class) and anthropometric measurements. Obesity was defined as body mass index ≥30 kg/m2. For the association between obesity and each socio-economic indicator, we conducted sex-specific Poisson's regression with robust variance, adjusting for all demographics and health-related behaviours, reporting adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results The prevalence of obesity was 22% and 17% among men and women, respectively. There was a significant trend of higher obesity prevalence with increasing age as well as with being widowed in both genders and being a refugee in men. Obesity prevalence decreased with increasing educational attainment (postgraduate vs. none/gymnasium: a PRmen=0.45; 95%CI=0.25-0.82; a PRwomen=0.41; 95%CI=0.18-0.95; p-trends<0.005), and household income (>€4000/month vs. ≤€1000/month: a PRmen=0.45; 95%CI=0.26-0.81; a PRwomen=0.45; 95%CI=0.22-0.92; p-trends<0.005). Occupational social class did not show any clear association with obesity. After adjustment for health-behaviours as mediators the association between income and obesity in women was attenuated. Conclusions The current study highlights striking social inequalities in obesity among Cypriot men and women, characterised by a linear decrease in obesity prevalence each step up the socioeconomic hierarchy. We recommend that comprehensive and multifaceted public health interventions are considered to address income and education-related barriers resulting in higher obesity rates among specific population sub-groups. Key messages Among Greek Cypriot adults, obesity affects almost one in five whilst obesity prevalence shows gender-specific social inequalities. When investigating social inequalities in health, the choice of socioeconomic indicators should reflect the context of the population and gender-specific differences.

scholarly journals The path from social origins to top jobs: social reproduction via education

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice Sullivan ◽  
Samantha Parsons ◽  
Francis Green ◽  
Richard D. Wiggins ◽  
George Ploubidis
Keyword(s):  
Social Class ◽  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Social Reproduction ◽  
Past Research ◽  
School Level ◽  
Occupational Attainment ◽  
Social Origins ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
British Cohort Study ◽  
Detailed Picture

This paper provides a comprehensive account of the way in which cognitive and educational attainment mediate the link between social origins and elite social class destinations in mid-life. Using the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70), we assess the roles of a range of pathways through which educational advantage may lead to occupational attainment: cognitive development; private and selective secondary schools; school level qualifications; and higher education, including institution and field of study. Whereas past research has shown a residual direct effect of social origins on class destinations, we find that, once a sufficiently detailed picture of educational attainment is taken into account, education fully explains the link between social origins and top social class destinations. In contrast, the gap between men and women in achieving top social class positions is in no part accounted for by education.

Psychological distress and work and home roles: a focus on socio-economic differences in distress

2001 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 725-736 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. MATTHEWS ◽  
C. POWER ◽  
S. STANSFELD
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Social Class ◽  
Social Inequalities ◽  
Social Gradient ◽  
Psychological Status ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Class Differences ◽  
Explanatory Factors ◽  
Work Factors ◽  
The Impact

Background. Home and work factors have been linked to psychological status, but less is known about their contribution to social inequalities in psychological status. We examine whether social inequalities in psychological distress can be explained by work–home factors and whether the impact of these potential explanatory factors is similar for men and women.Methods. Data are from the 1958 British birth cohort study. We sought to explain social class differences in psychological distress at age 33. Explanatory factors were classified as work–home roles: i.e. employment, marital status, domestic responsibility, children and elderly care; and work–home characteristics: i.e. job-strain, insecurity, unsocial working hours, youngest child's age, number of children and level of involvement in childcare.Results. A social gradient in psychological distress was found: odds ratios for classes IV and V v. I and II were 2·65 (men) and 3·02 (women). Work factors had consistently stronger associations with psychological distress and with social class among men than women. Work factors had a greater impact on class differences in psychological distress in men. Associations for home roles and characteristics were less consistent and their combined effect on class differences in distress was negligible for both sexes.Conclusion. Explanations for the social gradient differ for men and women. Work may be more important for men than women, but the impact of home factors was not strong during the early adulthood of this cohort.

scholarly journals Variables independently associated with self-reported obesity in the European Union

1999 ◽  
Vol 2 (1a) ◽  
pp. 125-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
JA Martínez ◽  
JM Kearney ◽  
A Kafatos ◽  
S Paquet ◽  
MA Martínez-Gonzélez
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Social Class ◽  
Smoking Status ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Cluster Sampling ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Obesity Prevalence ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Prevalence Of Obesity ◽  
The Eu

AbstractObjectiveThe rapid increase in obesity rates over recent years suggest that cultural and societal influences are affecting the adjustment in the energy balance equation in addition to other physiopathological or genetic determinants. Therefore, a pan-EU study was carried out to explore the influence of sociodemographic factors as well as some attitudes (smoking and exercise) on the prevalence of obesity in the adult population of all 15 member states of the EU.DesignOverall, a sample of 15 239 individuals aged 15 years and upwards in the EU completed the questionnaire. Subject selection was quota-controlled to make the sample nationally representative following a multistage stratified cluster sampling. Self-reported height and weight were used to calculate body mass index (BMI).ResultsFrom the EU average results, it can be seen that only about half of the EU population (48%) is within the normal weight range, while the obesity (BMI > ≥ 30 kg m−2) prevalence was about 10% in the EU and the overweight prevalence was 36.6% and 25.6% among men and women, respectively. UK subjects had the highest prevalence of obesity (12%), while Italians, French and Swedes had the lowest levels of obesity (about 7%). Concerning age and social class interactions, logistic regression analysis showed that high social class and younger individuals in all groups had a lower odds ratio for obesity prevalence. People with a higher level of education are less likely to be obese, while the interaction between educational levels and obesity was different for men and women. A low participation in various leisure-time physical activities, the lack of interest (precontemplation) in being involved in exercise/physical activity and the increasing number of hours sitting down at work appear to be predictors of obesity. Single individuals were less prone to become obese than couples or widowed/divorced people. Finally, smoking status was statistically linked to the prevalence of obesity, since non-smokers or ex-smokers for more than 1 year presented a higher tendency for a BMI > 30.ConclusionsThis survey confirms that a priority area for health intervention aimed at preventing the development of obesity should be to increase levels of physical activity, although the approach will depend on the population, especially with respect to educational and socioeconomic aspects.

scholarly journals Educational Expansion and Social Mobility: The Scottish Case

2011 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 251-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina Iannelli
Keyword(s):  
Social Class ◽  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Social Mobility ◽  
Social Inequalities ◽  
Educational Policies ◽  
Educational Expansion ◽  
Class Differences ◽  
Life Chances ◽  
The Social

For over a century, the goal of reducing class inequalities in educational attainment has been based at least in part on the belief that this would help to equalise life chances. Drawing upon the main findings of three ESRC-funded projects, this paper reviews the empirical evidence on trends in social class inequalities in educational attainment and the role of education in promoting social mobility in Scotland. The findings show that in the second half of the twentieth century, despite the increase in overall levels of attainment, class differences in educational attainment persisted. Educational policies in Scotland supported educational expansion which allowed larger numbers of working-class children to climb the social class ladder than in the past. However, these did not translate into any break with the patterns of social inequalities in the chances of entering the top-level occupations. The conclusions highlight that educational policies on their own are not powerful enough to change patterns of social mobility which are mainly driven by labour market and social class structures.

scholarly journals Midlife socioeconomic position and old-age dementia mortality: a large prospective register-based study from Finland

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. e033234
Author(s):  
Kaarina Korhonen ◽  
Elina Einiö ◽  
Taina Leinonen ◽  
Lasse Tarkiainen ◽  
Pekka Martikainen
Keyword(s):  
Social Class ◽  
Socioeconomic Position ◽  
Household Income ◽  
Cox Regression ◽  
Oldest Old ◽  
Socioeconomic Inequalities ◽  
Socioeconomic Differences ◽  
Occupational Social Class ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Overall Mortality

ObjectivesTo assess the association between multiple indicators of socioeconomic position and dementia-related death, and to estimate the contribution of dementia to socioeconomic differences in overall mortality at older ages.DesignProspective population-based register study.SettingFinland.Participants11% random sample of the population aged 70–87 years resident in Finland at the end of year 2000 (n=54 964).Main outcome measureIncidence rates, Kaplan-Meier survival probabilities and Cox regression HRs of dementia mortality in 2001–2016 by midlife education, occupational social class and household income measured at ages 53–57 years.ResultsDuring the 528 387 person-years at risk, 11 395 individuals died from dementia (215.7 per 10 000 person-years). Lower midlife education, occupational social class and household income were associated with higher dementia mortality, and the differences persisted to the oldest old ages. Compared with mortality from all other causes, however, the socioeconomic differences emerged later. Dementia accounted for 28% of the difference between low and high education groups in overall mortality at age 70+ years, and for 21% of the difference between lowest and highest household income quintiles. All indicators of socioeconomic position were independently associated with dementia mortality, low household income being the strongest independent predictor (HR=1.24, 95% CI 1.16 to 1.32), followed by basic education (HR=1.14, 1.06 to 1.23). Manual occupational social class was related to a 6% higher hazard (HR=1.06, 1.01 to 1.11) compared with non-manual social class. Adjustment for midlife economic activity, baseline marital status and chronic health conditions attenuated the excess hazard of low midlife household income, although significant effects remained.ConclusionSeveral indicators of socioeconomic position predict dementia mortality independently and socioeconomic inequalities persist into the oldest old ages. The results demonstrate that dementia is among the most important contributors to socioeconomic inequalities in overall mortality at older ages.

scholarly journals A medicalized hotel as a public health resource for the containment of Covid-19: more than a place for quarantining

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
K L Ramírez-Cervantes ◽  
V Romero-Pardo ◽  
C Pérez-Tovar ◽  
G Martínez-Alés ◽  
M Quintana-Diaz
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Class ◽  
Educational Level ◽  
Household Income ◽  
Health Resource ◽  
Migrant Status ◽  
Tertiary Referral ◽  
Tertiary Referral Hospital ◽  
Monthly Household Income ◽  
Occupational Social Class

ABSTRACT Background To describe the implementation of a medicalized hotel in the community of Madrid as a public health resource for the containment of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and to describe the characteristics of population benefitted. Methods A descriptive study of the implementation of the Via Castellana Medicalised Hotel (VCMH) was conducted. The average monthly household income, educational level and occupational social class of the subjects admitted were obtained through a survey conducted during their stay. Results There was no guidance for launching; however the hotel was coordinated by a tertiary referral hospital and attended the preventive medicine regulations and the decrees of legal regimes and authorization of health services in Madrid. Between 19 March and the 9 May 2020, 399 patients were admitted; 59% (235) were migrant; the main reason for referral (58%) was a lack of house conditions for quarantining, including overcrowding, which when compared with the migrant status a positive correlation was found. Some other reasons for referral were homelessness and eviction. Most of the survey participants had low monthly household income, educational level and social class. Conclusions This medicalized hotel provided medical care and offered housing to a subgroup of vulnerable population who could not afford a safe quarantine.

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