gms | German Medical Science

Kongress Medizin und Gesellschaft 2007

17. bis 21.09.2007, Augsburg

Widening of a social gradient in obesity risk? German National Health Surveys 1990 and 1998

Meeting Abstract

  • Andrea Icks - Institute of Biometrics and Epidemiology, German Diabetes Center, Leibniz Institute, at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf
  • Susanne Moebus - Institute of Medical Informatics, Biometry, and Epidemiology, University Clinics Essen, Essen
  • Astrid Feuersenger - Institute of Medical Informatics, Biometry, and Epidemiology, University Clinics Essen, Essen
  • Burkhard Haastert - nstitute of Biometrics and Epidemiology, German Diabetes Center, Leibniz Institute, at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf
  • Karl-Heinz Jöckel - Institute of Medical Informatics, Biometry, and Epidemiology, University Clinics Essen, Essen
  • Andreas Mielck - Institute of Health Economics and Health Care Management, GSF National Research Centre for Environment and Health,, Neuherberg
  • Guido Giani - nstitute of Biometrics and Epidemiology, German Diabetes Center, Leibniz Institute, at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf

Kongress Medizin und Gesellschaft 2007. Augsburg, 17.-21.09.2007. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2007. Doc07gmds174

Die elektronische Version dieses Artikels ist vollständig und ist verfügbar unter: http://www.egms.de/de/meetings/gmds2007/07gmds174.shtml

Veröffentlicht: 6. September 2007

© 2007 Icks et al.
Dieser Artikel ist ein Open Access-Artikel und steht unter den Creative Commons Lizenzbedingungen (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/deed.de). Er darf vervielfältigt, verbreitet und öffentlich zugänglich gemacht werden, vorausgesetzt dass Autor und Quelle genannt werden.


Gliederung

Text

Objective: Whether differences in obesity prevalences across social status levels have widened remains controversial.

Material and Methods: We used German national health surveys (1990-92 and 1998, n= 7,466 and 5,583, age 25-69 years) to estimate obesity prevalences and its associations with calendar year, age (25-39, 40-60, 60-69), and educational level (low, middle, high), as well as an interaction term (year*educational level) in men and women. We used multiple regression models, considering the sample design.

Results: Obesity prevalence in 1990 and 1998 was 18.1 (95% CI 16.5-19.7) and 19.9 (18.2-21.6) in men and 20.9 (19.2-22.6) and 21.6 (19.3-23.7) in women, with statistically significantly higher prevalences in higher age and lower education. A statistically significant increase of obesity prevalence was present only in men. The increase seems to be highest in high educated educated subjects. However, interaction was not statistically significant, except in middle compared to high educated men (OR 0.67; 0.47-0.96).

Conclusions: Obesity prevalence increased only moderately in Germany between 1990-92 and 1998. There was a tendency of reduction of the social gradient in obesity instead of a widening.