Nutritional status of expectant mothers belonging to two different income levels

In Coimbatore, India the nutritional status of 50 low income and 50 middle income women in the 4th or 5th month of pregnancy was assessed. Findings were: 1) the quality of the diet was better among the middle income women than among the low income women; and 2) the diet affected the weight and length of the infants subsequently bone to these women. The study population consisted of prenatal patients registered at 3 municipal and 2 private hospitals. The mean nutritional intake of the low income mothers was markedly below minimum nutritional requirements. There was a 33% deficit in caloric intake, a 25% deficit in protein, a 60% deficit in calcium, a 30% deficit in iron, a 57% deficit in retinol, a 63% deficit in riboflavin, and a 40% in ascorbic acid. The mean nutritional intake for middle income mothers was somewhat better. Protein and ascorbic acid intake among these women was adequate; however, their diets were 18% deficient in calories, 13% deficient in calcium, 43% deficient in iron, 54% deficient in retinol, and 37% deficient in riboflavin. Plasma protein, albumin, and globuin levels were higher, but not significantly higher, for middle income women than for low income women. Mean weight gain during pregnancy was 6.23 kg for low income women and 6.76 kg for middle income women. After delivery, anthropometric measurements of the infants were taken. Middle income babies had a significantly higher birth weight and were significantly longer than low income babies. Infant mortality among children born to low income mothers prior to the study was higher than among children previously born to middle income women. Efforts should be made 1) to improve the income level of the economically poor and then 2) to teach these individuals to use the additional income to improve their nutritional status. Study results are presented in tabular form.     

A comparative study on perception of body weight of women from different socioeconomic levels

The purpose of the study was to evaluate perception of body weight (PBW) of women who live in two different regions of the Antalya provincial center in Turkey with different socioeconomic status (SES) and whose ages range from 50 to 65. A cross-sectional survey was conducted. Association with PBW was investigated using multiple logistic regression analyses; correct PBW of women in middle SES was 0.28 times more than those in upper-middle and upper SES. Health professionals should take unemployed women with high body mass index and low SES as a target group.     

Parent's socioeconomic status,adolescents' disposable income,and adolescents' smoking status in Massachusetts

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the association between parental socioeconomic status (SES) and adolescent smoking. METHODS: We conducted telephone interviews with a probability sample of 1308 Massachusetts adolescents aged 12 to 17 years. We used multiple-variable-adjusted logistic regression models. RESULTS: The risk of adolescent smoking increased by 28% with each step down in parental education and increased by 30% for each step down in parental household income. These associations persisted after adjustment for age, sex, race/ethnicity, and adolescent disposable income. Parental smoking status was a mediator of these associations. CONCLUSIONS: Parental SES is inversely associated with adolescent smoking. Parental smoking is a mediator but does not fully explain the association.     

A multilevel non-hierarchical study of birth weight and socioeconomic status

Background  

It is unclear whether the socioeconomic status (SES) of the community of residence has a substantial association with infant birth weight. We used multilevel models to examine associations of birth weight with family- and community-level SES in the Cape Cod Family Health Study. Data were collected retrospectively on births to women between 1969 and 1983 living on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The sample included siblings born in different residences with differing community-level SES.     

Body weight and dieting in adolescence: Impact of socioeconomic status

This cross-sectional survey study examined dieting and exercise variables as a function of parental education in 2,174 male and 1,804 female college-bound high school graduates aged 18 years. Parental education is an index of socioeconomic status (SES). Higher SES was associated with lower current and desired body weight in both women and men. The prevalence of dieting, binging, and vigorous exercise for weight control increased with SES for women but not for men. These data confirm the inverse relationship between body weight, dieting, and social class, previously demonstrated with American adults. © 1994 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Parental correlates of food parenting practices: socioeconomic status,weight, and dieting status

Little research has considered how parents’ socioeconomic indicators, body mass index (BMI), and dieting status relate to their food parenting. The current study used self-report data from parents of young children to examine group differences on three types of food parenting practices (Structure, Coercive Control, and Autonomy Promotion). Few group differences were found for socioeconomic indicators. However, parent dieting status moderated effects of parent BMI on structure and autonomy promotion. Obese, non-dieting parents reported lower scores on both variables. More research is needed to better understand how parents’ dieting status moderates the effects of parent’s weight.     

Nutritional status of alcoholics of different socioeconomic class.

Most studies concerning the nutritional status of alcoholics have focused on the indigent alcoholic but programs now increasingly consider the working patient. The role of socioeconomic status in determining nutritional status of the alcoholic is further clarified in this study. One hundred patients from an alcoholic population were studied, 50 with low socioeconomic status and 50 with middle or higher socioeconomic status. The nutritional status of these two different socioeconomic groups was examined and compared. The middle-income alcoholic had significantly higher values in weight to height index (P less than .02), the triceps skinfold (P less than .01), the midarm muscle circumference (P less than .05), hematocrit (P less than .01), and epilation force (P less than .001) than the lower-income alcoholic group. Hair-pulling tension was compared in both groups as an index of protein malnutrition. There was a highly significant difference in the two groups.     

Body weight and health status: importance of socioeconomic position and working conditions

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between relative body weight and health status and the potential modifying effects of socioeconomic position and working conditions on this association. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: The data were derived from three identical cross-sectional surveys conducted in 2000, 2001, and 2002. Respondents to postal surveys were middle-aged employees of the City of Helsinki (7148 women and 1799 men, response rate 67%). BMI was based on self-reported weight and height. Health status was measured by the Short-Form 36 subscales and component summaries. RESULTS: Body weight was inversely associated with physical health, but in mental health, differences between BMI categories were small and inconsistent. In women, physical health deteriorated monotonically with increasing BMI, whereas in men, poor physical health was found among the obese only. Socioeconomic position did not modify the association between BMI and health. In women, the association between body weight and physical health became stronger with decreasing job control and increasing physical work load, whereas in men, a similar modifying effect was found for high job demands. DISCUSSION: Body weight was associated with physical health only. Lower levels of relative weight in women than in men may be associated with poor physical health. High body weight combined with adverse working conditions may impose a double burden on physical health.     

Association between weight perception and socioeconomic status among adults in the Seychelles

Background  

Few studies have examined the association between weight perception and socioeconomic status (SES) in sub-Saharan Africa, and none made this association based on education, occupation and income simultaneously.     

South Australian four-year-old Aboriginal children: residence and socioeconomic status influence weight

Objective: Obesity rates have increased in children in Australia in the past 15 years. However, there is little available population data describing rates of overweight and obesity in Aboriginal children. Methods: Anthropometric data of four‐year‐old children (n=11,859) were collected by trained nurses at routine statewide preschool health checks during 2009. Weight status (underweight, healthy weight, overweight and obese) was determined using age and gender specific International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) cut‐points. Results: There were 337 Aboriginal children (3%) in the study population. Aboriginal children had significantly higher rates of overweight and obesity compared to non‐Aboriginal children (28% compared to 18% respectively, χ²p=0.0001). A statistically significant association between BMIz score and identifying as Aboriginal remained after controlling for rural/urban residence and socioeconomic status using multiple regression analyses. Conclusions: Aboriginal children have higher rates of overweight and obesity compared to their non‐Aboriginal peers by the time they are four years of age. Aboriginal children have higher BMIz scores compared to non‐Aboriginal children after controlling for rural/urban residence and socioeconomic status. Implications: A significant investment is required to optimise the health of Aboriginal women before pregnancy and throughout pregnancy. A rethink may be necessary in the approach to dietary management and catch‐up growth of Aboriginal children of low birth weight or having growth failure in early childhood.     

Comparison of nutritional status of pre-school children at day care centres and at home from different socioeconomic backgrounds in Beirut

This study investigated the effect of attending day care centres on the nutritional status of 818 pre-school children under 5 years of age in comparison with home based children, taking into consideration their social class. A random sample of 10 high class (HCD) and low class day care centres (LCD) was selected, in addition to a random sample of houses in high class (HCR) and low class residential areas (LCR) in Beirut. Anthropometric measurements and dietary intake data were collected. Attending day care centres, regardless of social class, showed that children in HCD and LCD had significantly greater height for age than home based children. When stratified by social class, a higher proportion of LCR had severe and mild stunting in comparison with their LCD counterparts. For high class children, being home based did not result in adverse effects on growth to the same extent as children from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Dietary intake data showed deficiencies in most nutrients in both day care and home based children reflecting the same differences observed in the anthropometric data, i.e. a better consumption of nutrients by children in day care centres, particularly in LCD vs. LCR. Findings from this study show that day care service results in a better nutritional status for children and its effects are more pronounced in those from lower socioeconomic groups.     

The influence of physical activity, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity on the weight status of adolescents

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the effects of physical activity, television viewing, video game play, socioeconomic status (SES), and ethnicity on body mass index (BMI). RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: The sample was 2389 adolescents, 10 to 16 years of age (12.7 +/- 1.0 years); 1240 (52%) females and 1149 (48%) males; 77% white and 23% African American; from rural (77%) and urban (23%) settings. BMI and skinfolds were directly assessed. All other data were obtained from questionnaires. RESULTS: Watching television on non-school days was related to being overweight (p < 0.005). However, when BMI analyses were adjusted for ethnicity and SES, there were no significant effects of television viewing on BMI (p > 0.061). Increased hours of video game play enhanced the risk of being overweight for both genders when analyses were adjusted for ethnicity and SES (p < 0.019). In males, participation in as little as one high-intensity physical activity 3 to 5 days a week decreased the ethnic- and SES-adjusted relative risk of being overweight (RR = 0.646; CI: 0.427 to 0.977). For females, the ethnic- and SES-adjusted relative risk for being overweight was not significantly altered by physical activity. The logistic analyses further indicated the influence of low SES and African American ethnicity overshadowed any direct effect of television or videos. DISCUSSION: Because weight status of male adolescents appears to be more related to exercise habits than to television or video game habits, increased participation in high-intensity exercise appears to be important. For females, neither videos nor exercise habits appear to be related to risk of being overweight. However, ethnicity and SES may be important factors that can influence body weight status, while television viewing may be of some importance. Thus, programs to reduce obesity in female adolescent should focus their efforts in lower SES communities.     

Assessing socioeconomic effects on different sized populations: To weight or not to weight?

OBJECTIVE: Researchers in health care often use ecological data from population aggregates of different sizes. This paper deals with a fundamental methodological issue relating to the use of such data. This study investigates the question of whether, in doing analyses involving different areas, the estimating equations should be weighted by the populations of those areas. It is argued that the correct answer to that question turns on some deep epistemological issues that have been little considered in the public health literature. DESIGN: To illustrate the issue, an example is presented that estimates entitlements to primary physician visits in Manitoba, Canada based on age/gender and socioeconomic status using both population weighted and unweighted regression analyses. SETTING AND SUBJECTS: The entire population of the province furnish the data. Primary care visits to physicians based on administrative data, demographics and a measure of socioeconomic status (SERI), based on census data, constitute the measures. RESULTS: Significant differences between weighted and unweighted analyses are shown to emerge, with the weighted analyses biasing entitlements towards the more populous and advantaged population. CONCLUSIONS: The authors endorse the position that, in certain problems, data analyses involving population aggregates unweighted by population size are more appropriate and normatively justifiable than are analyses weighted by population. In particular, when the aggregated units make sense, theoretically, as units, it is more appropriate to carry out the analyses without weighting by the size of the units. Unweighted analyses yield more valid estimations.     

Evaluation of diet quality and weight status of children from a low socioeconomic urban environment supports "at risk" classification

This cross-sectional study evaluated diet quality and weight status in 248 randomly selected low-income urban children, aged 7 to 13 years, who were participating in a larger study on the effectiveness of multivitamin supplementation on school performance. Food frequency questionnaires were used to determine intake of total calories and food groups, selected micronutrients, and amount and percent of calories from sweets. Results were compared to age-appropriate recommendations of the Food Guide Pyramid and to the Dietary Reference Intakes. Height, weight, and ages obtained from current-year student health records were used to calculate body mass index (calculated as kg/m(2)) percentile for age. Of 193 participants with usable food frequencies and available weight, height, sex, and age, 22% (n=43) were at risk for overweight and 36% (n=69) were overweight. More than 75% of participants failed to meet recommended servings for grains, vegetables, dairy, and fruit groups, and mean intake of each of these food groups was significantly less than recommendations (P<0.001). Twenty-five percent or more of subjects did not meet Recommended Dietary Allowances for iron and folate. Mean intake of calcium was below the Adequate Intake for calcium and 76% of children 8 years old and younger and 93% of children 9 years old and older did not meet the Adequate Intake for calcium. Mean calorie intake was 1,723 kcal (standard deviation+/-924) and mean percent of calories from carbohydrate, protein, and fat was 57%, 13%, and 32%, respectively. No correlation was found between total calories, total dietary sugar, or percent of calories from sweets and body mass index. Results of this study suggest that these urban children may be "at risk," based on the high percentage who are overweight and have insufficient food group consumption and micronutrient intake.     

Relative importance of factors associated with duration of lactation in mothers of better socioeconomic status

In 1976, researchers surveyed 3999 mothers in urban and rural Hyderabad, India. 90% of the mothers breast fed their children. Al began breast feeding immediately after birth. Average age of complete weaning ranged from 5.1 months for the urban elite to 13.3 months for rural women. Postpartum amenorrhea varied from an average of 3.5 months for the urban elite to 11.4 months for rural women. There were significant differences between the different socioeconomic groups in terms of lactation and postpartum amenorrhea (p.05). Both duration of breast feeding and postpartum amenorrhea were positively correlated. In terms of the urban population, 60.7% of the urban elite, 42.75 of the urban middle class, and 37.5% had weaned their infants at or before 5 months. Urban elite children were more likely to receive food supplements earlier than rural children (p.05). On average, urban elite mothers introduced supplements at 5 months while rural mothers introduced them at 10 months. As the educational level of the mothers increased the percentage of lactating mothers decreased irrespective of the socioeconomic class. As the duration of lactation increased the levels of children born alive, mortality among live born siblings, and education of both parents decreased significantly (p.05). Urban elite and middle income women who breast fed for 6 months were more likely to be healthy, have children with higher body weights, and have commercial baby food than those who did for 6 months (p.05). Maternal age, parity, and mortality among siblings were positively associated with longer periods of lactation and postpartum amenorrhea. The leading indicator for duration of lactation among all urban women was age of introduction of supplements. The leading indicator for duration of postpartum amenorrhea was duration of lactation.     

不同收入老年人健康状况公平性分析

目的了解江苏省苏州市不同收入老年人健康状况差异性,为今后卫生机构改革和卫生资源配置提供参考依据。方法采用分层整群随机抽样方法对在苏州市抽取的8个社区共4 635名老年居民进行问卷调查。结果苏州市老年人的慢性病患病率和日常生活活动能力(ADL)受限率分别为78.1%和8.8%;慢性病患病率和ADL受限率的集中指数(CI)分别为0.043(男性0.035,女性0.061)和0.194(男性0.137,女性0.216);月平均收入<500、500～999、1 000～1 999、和≥2 000元老年人慢性病患病率分别为71.2%、73.3%、80.4%和84.2%,ADL受限率分别为14.3%、7.7%、7.5%和5.7%,不同收入老年人慢性病患病率、ADL受限率间差异均有统计学意义(P<0.001);居于慢性病患病率前5位的疾病依次为高血压(51.3%)、糖尿病(14.2%)、心脏病(11.2%)、关节炎(11.1%)和高血脂(8.3%);CI值最高的疾病为高血脂(0.411),最低的疾病为高血压(0.032);老年人患1、2和≥3种慢性病的比例分别为44.9%、21.7%和7.8%,其CI值分别为-0.071、0.130和0.218。结论苏州市不同收入老年人健康状况存在不公平性。