Assessing the income-related inequality in obesity among the elderly in China: A decomposition analysis

Jinpeng Xu; Guomei Tian; Ting Zhang; Hongyu Zhang; Jian Liu; Qi Shi; Jiale Sun; Haixin Wang; Bokai Zhang; Qunhong Wu; Zheng Kang

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2022.918630

Assessing the income-related inequality in obesity among the elderly in China: A decomposition analysis

Front Public Health. 2022 Sep 9:10:918630. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.918630. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Jinpeng Xu¹, Guomei Tian², Ting Zhang¹, Hongyu Zhang¹, Jian Liu¹, Qi Shi¹, Jiale Sun³, Haixin Wang¹, Bokai Zhang¹, Qunhong Wu¹, Zheng Kang¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Social Medicine, School of Health Management, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
² Department of Nuclear Medicine, The Fourth Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
³ Central Office, Xuzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Xuzhou, China.

Abstract

Background: Obesity among the elderly imposes a significant health and economic burden. The purpose of this study was to measure the obesity prevalence and income-related inequality among older adults in China and to explore the determinants of the inequity.

Methods: Data were obtained from 4,541 older adults (60 years and older) participating in the China Family Panel Study, 2018. Obesity was defined as body mass index (BMI) ≥28 kg/m². Normalized concentration index and concentration curve were calculated to measure the income-related inequality. Decomposition analysis was used to measure the contribution of each factor to the overall unfairness.

Results: The prevalence of obesity among the respondents was 7.99%. The 95% confidence interval for the overall prevalence was 7.20-8.78%. The normalized concentration index of obesity in the elderly was 0.075 (95% confidence interval: 0.047-0.103), indicating that obesity was more concentrated among the rich (p < 0.05). Socioeconomic factors contributed the most to the overall inequality (68.73%). Health behavior factors explained 16.38% of the observed income-related inequality in obesity among the elderly in China.

Conclusions: In 2018, obesity was more concentrated among the elderly with higher incomes in China. The pro-poor income-related inequality was mainly due to the higher socioeconomic status of higher-income older adults. Health behaviors and psychosocial factors could also exacerbate the inequality. To prevent the heavy burden of obesity on the health and finances of older adults, more attention should be paid to those who are financially better off, especially those who smoke and are physically inactive, while extroverted older adults also need to be focused on. For developing countries, concern needs to be given to the obesity of the wealthy elderly as a result of economic development.

Keywords: Chinese elderly; concentration index; decomposition analysis; income-related inequality; obesity.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Aged
China / epidemiology
Humans
Income*
Obesity / epidemiology
Social Class*
Socioeconomic Factors