Epidemiol Health.  2019;41:e2019005. 10.4178/epih.e2019005.

Socioeconomic inequalities in obesity among Korean women aged 19-79 years: the 2016 Korean Study of Women's Health-Related Issues

Affiliations
  • 1Graduate School of Cancer Science and Policy, National Cancer Center, Goyang, Korea. kschoi@ncc.re.kr
  • 2Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Inha University School of Medicine, Incheon, Korea.
  • 3Department of Medicine, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
  • 4Graduate School of Public Health, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea.
  • 5Department of Clinical Research and Evaluation, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, Korea.
  • 6College of Nursing, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea.
  • 7Division of Silver Industry, Kangnam University, Yongin, Korea.
  • 8Department of Internal Medicine, Endocrine Research Institute, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Abstract


OBJECTIVES
While the prevalence of obesity in Asian women has remained stagnant, studies of socioeconomic inequalities in obesity among Asian women are scarce. This study aimed to examine the recent prevalence of obesity in Korean women aged between 19 years and 79 years and to analyze socioeconomic inequalities in obesity.
METHODS
Data were derived from the 2016 Korean Study of Women's Health-Related Issues. The chi-square test and logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the associations between socioeconomic factors and obesity using Asian standard body mass index (BMI) categories: low (<18.5 kg/m²), normal (18.5-22.9 kg/m²), overweight (23.0-24.9 kg/m²), and obese (≥25.0 kg/m²). As inequality-specific indicators, the slope index of inequality (SII) and relative index of inequality (RII) were calculated, with adjustment for age and self-reported health status.
RESULTS
Korean women were classified into the following BMI categories: underweight (5.3%), normal weight (59.1%), overweight (21.2%), and obese (14.4%). The SII and RII revealed substantial inequalities in obesity in favor of more urbanized women (SII, 4.5; RII, 1.4) and against of women who were highly educated (SII, -16.7; RII, 0.3). Subgroup analysis revealed inequalities in obesity according to household income among younger women and according to urbanization among women aged 65-79 years.
CONCLUSIONS
Clear educational inequalities in obesity existed in Korean women. Reverse inequalities in urbanization were also apparent in older women. Developing strategies to address the multiple observed inequalities in obesity among Korean women may prove essential for effectively reducing the burden of this disease.

Keyword

Obesity; Women's health; Body mass index; Socioeconomic factors

MeSH Terms

Asian Continental Ancestry Group
Body Mass Index
Family Characteristics
Female
Humans
Logistic Models
Obesity*
Overweight
Prevalence
Socioeconomic Factors*
Thinness
Urbanization
Women's Health
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