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. 2010 Nov;100(11):2149-55.
doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2010.192641. Epub 2010 Sep 23.

Income disparities in obesity trends among California adolescents

Susan H Babey  1 , Theresa A Hastert, Joelle Wolstein, Allison L Diamant
Affiliations

Income disparities in obesity trends among California adolescents

Susan H Babey et al. Am J Public Health. 2010 Nov.

Abstract

Objectives: We assessed income-specific trends in obesity rates among a diverse population of California adolescents.

Methods: We used data from 17,535 adolescents who responded to the California Health Interview Survey between 2001 and 2007 to examine disparities in obesity prevalence by family income and gender.

Results: Between 2001 and 2007, obesity prevalence significantly increased among lower-income adolescents but showed no statistically significant differences among higher-income adolescents after adjustment for age, gender, and race/ethnicity. Although the overall disparity in obesity by family income doubled in this time period, trends were more consistent among male adolescents than among female adolescents.

Conclusions: The magnitude of the income disparity in obesity prevalence among California adolescents more than doubled between 2001-2007. The overall leveling off of adolescent obesity prevalence rates could indicate that efforts to decrease childhood obesity are having an impact; however, our results suggest that efforts to prevent childhood obesity may be failing to help adolescents from lower-income families, particularly male adolescents.

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Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Obesity prevalence among adolescents aged 12–17 years, by survey year and family income: California Health Interview Survey, 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2007. Note. FPL = federal poverty level. Survey weights were used in all analyses, and analyses were adjusted for the complex survey design. Obesity was defined as a body mass index ≥ 95th percentile according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2000 gender- and age-specific growth charts.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Obesity prevalence among adolescents aged 12–17 years, by survey year and family income, for (a) girls and (b) boys: California Health Interview Survey, 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2007. Note. FPL = federal poverty level. Survey weights were used in all analyses, and analyses were adjusted for the complex survey design. Obesity was defined as a body mass index ≥ 95th percentile according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2000 gender- and age-specific growth charts.
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