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Are geographic regions with high income inequality associated with risk of abdominal weight gain?

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  • Kahn, Henry S.
  • Tatham, Lilith M.
  • Pamuk, Elsie R.
  • Heath, Clark W.

Abstract

Geographic regions characterized by income inequality are associated with adverse mortality statistics, but the pathophysiologic mechanisms that mediate this ecologic relationship have not been elucidated. This study used a United States mail survey of 34[punctuation space]158 male and 42[punctuation space]741 female healthy-adult volunteers to test the association between residence in geographic regions with relative income inequality and the likelihood of weight gain at the waist. Respondents came from 21 states that were characterized by the household income inequality (HII) index, a measure reflecting the proportion of total income received by the more well off 50% of households in the state. The main outcome measure was self-reported weight gain mainly at the waist as opposed to weight gain at other anatomic sites. After controlling for age, other individual-level factors, and each state's median household income, men's likelihood of weight gain at the waist was positively associated (p=0.0008) with the HII index. Men from states with a high HII (households above the median receive 81.6% to 82.6% of the income) described weight gain at the waist more often than men from states with a low HII (households above the median receive 77.0% to 78.5% of the income) (odds ratio=1.12, 95% confidence interval 1.03 to 1.22). Women's results showed a non-significant trend in the same direction. An association between ecologically defined socio-environmental stress and abdominal obesity may help to clarify the pathophysiologic pathways leading to several major chronic diseases.

Suggested Citation

  • Kahn, Henry S. & Tatham, Lilith M. & Pamuk, Elsie R. & Heath, Clark W., 1998. "Are geographic regions with high income inequality associated with risk of abdominal weight gain?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 1-6, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:47:y:1998:i:1:p:1-6
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    1. Dean, Wesley R. & Sharkey, Joseph R., 2011. "Food insecurity, social capital and perceived personal disparity in a predominantly rural region of Texas: An individual-level analysis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 72(9), pages 1454-1462, May.
    2. Jennifer M. Mellor & Jeffrey Milyo, 2002. "Income Inequality and Health Status in the United States: Evidence from the Current Population Survey," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 37(3), pages 510-539.
    3. Herath, J & Gebremedhin, T., 2010. "An Empirical Analysis of Adult Obesity in West Virginia," Sri Lankan Journal of Agricultural Economics, Sri Lanka Agricultural Economics Association (SAEA), vol. 12, pages 1-15.
    4. Rossi, Luciano & Damaceno, Rafael J.P. & Freire, Igor L. & Bechara, Etelvino J.H. & Mena-Chalco, Jesús P., 2018. "Topological metrics in academic genealogy graphs," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 12(4), pages 1042-1058.
    5. Jianfeng Yao and Fafanyo Asiseh, 2019. "An Economic Analysis of Household Income Inequality and BMI in China," Journal of Economic Development, Chung-Ang Unviersity, Department of Economics, vol. 44(1), pages 23-37, March.
    6. Chang, Virginia W. & Christakis, Nicholas A., 2005. "Income inequality and weight status in US metropolitan areas," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(1), pages 83-96, July.
    7. Darshan Zala, 2013. "Challenging The Spirit Level: Is There Really a Relationship between Inequality and Obesity?," Economic Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(2), pages 232-245, June.
    8. Masako Horino & Sze Yan Liu & Eun-Young Lee & Ichiro Kawachi & Roman Pabayo, 2020. "State-level income inequality and the odds for meeting fruit and vegetable recommendations among US adults," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(9), pages 1-15, September.
    9. Moon, Graham & Quarendon, Gemma & Barnard, Steve & Twigg, Liz & Blyth, Bill, 2007. "Fat nation: Deciphering the distinctive geographies of obesity in England," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 65(1), pages 20-31, July.
    10. Xiao, Zengqi & Lam, Jasmine Siu Lee, 2019. "Willingness to take contractual risk in port public-private partnerships under economic volatility: The role of institutional environment in emerging economies," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 106-116.
    11. Wilkinson, Richard G & Pickett, Kate E., 2006. "Income inequality and population health: A review and explanation of the evidence," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 62(7), pages 1768-1784, April.
    12. Mishra, Sandeep & Carleton, R. Nicholas, 2015. "Subjective relative deprivation is associated with poorer physical and mental health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 144-149.
    13. Davillas, Apostolos & Jones, Andrew M., 2020. "Regional inequalities in adiposity in England: distributional analysis of the contribution of individual-level characteristics and the small area obesogenic environment," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 38(C).
    14. Khattak, Naeem Ur Rehman Khattak & Hussain, Anwar Hussain, 2008. "An Assessment of the Inequality in Income and Land Holdings among Rural Rice Farmers of District Swat," MPRA Paper 42033, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    15. Olya, Hossein G.T. & Lee, Choong-Ki & Lee, Yong-Ki & Reisinger, Yvette, 2019. "What are the triggers of Asian visitor satisfaction and loyalty in the Korean heritage site?," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 195-205.
    16. Kim, Daniel & Subramanian, S.V. & Gortmaker, Steven L. & Kawachi, Ichiro, 2006. "US state- and county-level social capital in relation to obesity and physical inactivity: A multilevel, multivariable analysis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 63(4), pages 1045-1059, August.

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