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. 2017 May 8;16(1):18.
doi: 10.1186/s12942-017-0092-x.

Contextual influences affecting patterns of overweight and obesity among university students: a 50 universities population-based study in China

Tingzhong Yang  1 , Lingwei Yu  2 , Ross Barnett  3 , Shuhan Jiang  2 , Sihui Peng  2 , Yafeng Fan  4 , Lu Li  5
Affiliations

Contextual influences affecting patterns of overweight and obesity among university students: a 50 universities population-based study in China

Tingzhong Yang et al. Int J Health Geogr. .

Abstract

Background: Many studies have examined childhood and adolescent obesity, but few have examined young adults and the effect of their home and current living environments on prevalence rates. The present study explores contextual factors affecting overweight and obesity among university students in China and, in particular, focuses on how the SES-obesity relationship varies across different geographical contexts.

Methods: Participants were 11,673 students, who were identified through a multistage survey sampling process conducted in 50 universities. Individual data was obtained through a self-administered questionnaire, and contextual variables were retrieved from a national database. Multilevel logistic regression models were used to examine urban and regional variations in overweight and obesity.

Results: Overall the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the study sample was 9.5% (95% CI 7.7, 11.3%). After controlling for individual factors, both attributes of the home location (regional GDP <gross domestic product> per capita and rurality) and the current university location (city population) were found to be important, thus suggesting that the different origins of students affect current levels of obesity. At the individual level, while students with more financial resources were more likely to be obese, the extent of this relationship was highly dependent upon area income and city size.

Conclusion: The results of this study add important insights about the role of contextual factors affecting overweight and obesity among young adults and indicate a need to take into account both past as well as present environmental influences when considering the role of contextual factors in models of the nutrition transition.

Keywords: China; Context effects; Overweight and obesity; Young adults.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Geographical distribution of 50 universities across China, 2013
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Estimated overweight and obesity prevalence of university students by their home region, 2013
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Estimated relationships between socio-economic status and obesity between high and low income countries and by levels of urbanisation within low/middle income countries. a Between country differences, b within country differences
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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