Long-term trends (1973-14) for obesity and educational inequalities among Austrian adults: men in the fast lane

Abstract

Background: The examination of obesity trends is important to plan public health interventions specific to target-groups. We investigated long-term trends of obesity for the Austrian adult population between 1973 and 2014 according to their sex, age and education and the magnitude of educational-inequalities.

Methods: Data were derived from six national, representative, cross-sectional interview surveys (N = 194 030). Data correction factors for self-reported body mass index (BMI) were applied. Obesity was defined as BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2. Absolute changes (ACs) and aetiologic fractions (AFs) were calculated to identify trends in the obesity prevalence. To measure the extent of social inequality, the relative index of inequality was computed based on educational levels.

Results: In 2014, the age-adjusted prevalence of obesity was 14.6% (95%CI: 14.0-15.3) for women and 16.8% (95%CI: 16.1-17.9) for men. Obesity was most prevalent among subjects aged 55-74 years and those with low educational status. The AC in the obesity prevalence during the study period was highest for men aged 75 years and older with high/middle educational levels (16.2%) and also high for subjects aged 55 years and older with low educational levels. The greatest dynamics for obesity were observed among the oldest men with high/middle educational levels. Educational inequalities for obesity were higher among women, but only increased among men.

Conclusions: Since 1973, the prevalence for obesity was observed to be higher for men than women in Austria for the first time. Men showed the greatest increase in prevalence and risk for obesity during the study period. Further studies are needed to determine the drivers behind these trends.