Socioeconomic inequalities in overweight and obesity among 6‐ to 9‐year‐old children in 24 countries from the World Health Organization European region

Buoncristiano, Marta; Williams, Julianne; Simmonds, Philippa; Nurk, Eha; Ahrens, Wolfgang; Nardone, Paola; Rito, Ana Isabel; Rutter, Harry; Bergh, Ingunn Holden; Starc, Gregor; Jonsson, Kenisha Russell; Spinelli, Angela; Vandevijvere, Stefanie; Mäki, Päivi; Milanović, Sanja Musić; Salanave, Benoît; Yardim, Mahmut S.; Hejgaard, Tatjana; Fijałkowska, Anna; Abdrakhmanova, Shynar

doi:10.1111/obr.13213

Socioeconomic inequalities in overweight and obesity among 6‐ to 9‐year‐old children in 24 countries from the World Health Organization European region

Journal

Obesity Reviews

Date Issued

2021-06-28

Author(s)

Buoncristiano, Marta

Williams, Julianne

Simmonds, Philippa

Nurk, Eha

Ahrens, Wolfgang

Nardone, Paola

Rito, Ana Isabel

Rutter, Harry

Bergh, Ingunn Holden

Starc, Gregor

Jonsson, Kenisha Russell

Spinelli, Angela

Vandevijvere, Stefanie

Mäki, Päivi

Milanović, Sanja Musić

Salanave, Benoît

Yardim, Mahmut S.

Hejgaard, Tatjana

Fijałkowska, Anna

Abdrakhmanova, Shynar

Abdurrahmonova, Zulfiya

Duleva, Vesselka

Farrugia Sant'Angelo, Victoria

García‐Solano, Marta

Gualtieri, Andrea

Gutiérrez‐González, Enrique

Huidumac‐Petrescu, Constanta

Hyska, Jolanda

Kelleher, Cecily C.

Kujundžić, Enisa

Peterkova, Valentina

Petrauskiene, Ausra

Pudule, Iveta

Sacchini, Elena

Shengelia, Lela

Tanrygulyyeva, Maya

Taxová Braunerová, Radka

Usupova, Zhamilya

Maruszczak, Katharina

Ostojic, Sergej M.

Stojisavljević, Dragana

Wickramasinghe, Kremlin

Breda, João

DOI

10.1111/obr.13213

Abstract

Childhood overweight and obesity have significant short- and long-term negative impacts on children's health and well-being. These challenges are unequally distributed according to socioeconomic status (SES); however, previous studies have often lacked standardized and objectively measured data across national contexts to assess these differences. This study provides a cross-sectional picture of the association between SES and childhood overweight and obesity, based on data from 123,487 children aged 6–9 years in 24 countries in the World Health Organization (WHO) European region. Overall, associations were found between overweight/obesity and the three SES indicators used (parental education, parental employment status, and family-perceived wealth). Our results showed an inverse relationship between the prevalence of childhood overweight/obesity and parental education in high-income countries, whereas the opposite relationship was observed in most of the middle-income countries. The same applied to family-perceived wealth, although parental employment status appeared to be less associated with overweight and obesity or not associated at all. This paper highlights the need for close attention to context when designing interventions, as the association between SES and childhood overweight and obesity varies by country economic development. Population-based interventions have an important role to play, but policies that target specific SES groups are also needed to address inequalities.