Perez Ferrer, Carolina, Ann McMunn, Juan A. Rivera D0mmarrco, and Eric J. Brunner. “Educational Inequalities in Obesity among Mexican Women: Time-Trends from 1988 to 2012.” PLoS ONE 9, no. 3 (2014). doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0090195

URL: www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0090195

Abstract:

Background: Obesity is one of the leading causes of global morbidity and mortality. Trends in educational inequalities in obesity prevalence among Mexican women have not been analysed systematically to date.

Results: Nationally, age-standardised obesity prevalence increased from 9.3% to 33.7% over 25 years to 2012. Obesity prevalence was inversely associated with education level in urban areas at all survey waves.In rural areas, obesity prevalence increased markedly but there was no gradient with education level at any survey. The relative index of inequality in urban areas declined over the period (2.87 (95%CI: 1.94, 4.25) in 1988, 1.55 (95%CI: 1.33, 1.80) in 2012, trend p<0.001). Obesity increased 5.92 fold (95%CI: 4.03, 8.70) among urban women with higher education in the period 1988–2012 compared to 3.23 fold (95%CI: 2.88, 3.63) for urban women with primary or no education. The slope index of inequality increased in urban areas from 1988 to 2012. Over 0.5 M cases would be avoided if the obesity prevalence of women with primary or less education was the same as for women with higher education.

Conclusion: The expected inverse association between education and obesity was observed in urban areas of Mexico. The declining trend in relative educational inequalities in obesity was due to a greater increase in obesity prevalence among higher educated women. In rural areas there was no social gradient in the association between education level and obesity across the four surveys.

Ferrer et al. examined data from four nationally representative surveys spanning 24 years in order to assess trends in the prevalence of obesity among women in Mexico, including possible correlations with women’s’ educational status. The researchers found that, as expected, the prevalence of obesity increased dramatically over the study period. In urban areas, obesity prevalence was inversely associated with educational status, but education was not related to the increased obesity observed in rural areas. This study, the first to examine obesity trends among women in Mexico, is an example of how to focus public health research on the unique needs of women.