Socioeconomic determinants of healthy eating habits and physical activity among adolescents

Socioeconomic determinants of healthy eating habits and physical activity among adolescents

Candace CurrieHBSC International Coordinator

University of Edinburgh

The scientific context: what is HBSC telling us?

HBSC Forum Background Paper

‘Overweight and obesity in children and adolescents and the role of healthy

eating, physical activity and socioeconomic status’

Ellen Haug, Oddrun Samdal, Antony Morgan, Ulrike Ravens-Sieberer and Candace Currie

HBSC International report: ‘Young people’s health in context’ (2004)

Numerous scientific papers from the HBSC international research network (listed on www.hbsc.org)

.

HBSC reporting of obesity related data

HBSC scope

• Includes physical, emotional and social health and well-being

• Measures comprehensive range of behaviours that both risk and promote health

• Places health and behaviour of young people in social and developmental context

Social and developmental context of adolescent health and behaviour

• Socioconomic profile of country

• Family socioeconomic status• Family structure and relationships

• School environment and relationships• Peer group and relationships

• Individual maturation: pubertal development

HBSC surveys

• Conducted every four years at same time in all countries with common standardised instrument

• Nationally representative samples of 11,13 and 15 year olds

• 1st survey in 1983/4 in 3 countries; 7th survey in 2005/6 in 40 countries

• European region and North America

HBSC countries 2005/6

The study of obesity in HBSC

• Optional topic in 1997/98 survey

• Self-reported height and weight mandatory

questions in 2001/2 and 2005/6 surveys

• HBSC produces only comparable cross-

national data on BMI among adolescents

across European region

Obesity: conceptualisation in HBSC

• A measure of a young person’s physical condition with implications for health and well-being

• With behavioural determinants and outcomes

• With social and emotional causes and consequences

• Influenced by individual and environmental factors

Focus of Forum background paper

• Overweight and obesity

• Eating habits

• Physical activity

• Gender

• Socieconomic status

Wider HBSC focus

• Overweight and obesity

• Eating habits

• Physical activity

• Body image

• Weight control behaviour

• Gender

• Socieconomic status

obesity

Eating behaviour

Physical activity

Mental health

‘HBSC obesity triangle’

genderSocioeconomic

factors

Environmental factors (social and physical)

WHO/HBSC Forum series focus

Social and economic determinants and sources of inequality in adolescent

health

Variations in life circumstances for adolescents across Europe

• Countries vary considerably in the extent of young people living in low affluence households

• Countries vary considerably in family structures in which young people are living

Ukraine

Russian Federation

Latvia

Greenland

Lithuania

Croatia

Malta

Poland

TFYR Macedonia

Czech Republic

Estonia

Hungary

Portugal

Greece

Israel

Italy

Belgium (French)

Spain

Ireland

Slovenia

Scotland

Finland

Belgium (Flemish)

Austria

Germany

France

England

Wales

Denmark

Switzerland

USA

Canada

Sweden

Netherlands

Norway

80706050403020100

% Low FAS

% young people reporting low family affluence (FAS)

Ukraine

Norway

(Source: Young People’s Health in Context (2004))

Family structureacross HBSC countries

(Source: Young People’s Health in Context (2004))

Gender inequalities

There are consistent and significant gender differences across all countries in elements of the ‘obesity triangle’

• Levels of physical activity• Consumption of obesogenic foods• Prevalence of overweight

% 15 year old boys meeting physical activity guidelines(Source: Young People’s Health in Context (2004))

% 15 year old girls meeting physical activity guidelines

(Source: Young People’s Health in Context (2004))

% 15 year olds boys drink soft drinks daily(Source: Young People’s Health in Context (2004))

% 15 year olds girls drink soft drinks daily(Source: Young People’s Health in Context (2004))

% overweight 15 year old boys(Source: Young People’s Health in Context (2004))

% overweight 15 year old girls(Source: Young People’s Health in Context (2004))

Selected evidence of socioeconomic inequalities in the ‘HBSC

obesity triangle’

• Overweight higher among children from lower SES backgrounds (11 and 13 year olds)

• Aspects of poor eating are more common among lower SES groups (eg low fruit consumption)

• High levels of TV watching more common among lower SES groups

Cross-national variation in socioeconomic inequalities in the ‘HBSC obesity triangle’

High consumption of soft drinks:

– more common among lower SES groups in

Northern, Southern and Western Europe– more common in higher SES groups in

Central and Eastern Europe

% 15 year old boys report ‘too fat’(Source: Young People’s Health in Context (2004))

% 15 year old girls report ‘too fat’(Source: Young People’s Health in Context (2004))

% overweight 15 year old boys(Source: Young People’s Health in Context (2004))

% overweight 15 year old girls(Source: Young People’s Health in Context (2004))

Obesity not the only epidemic

‘Epidemic’ of cheap, nutritionally poor, food being produced in a globalised market with hidden environmental costs

Obesity not the only epidemic

‘Epidemic’ of nutritionally poor and obesogenic food consumption by poor children in rich industrialised countries

Obesity not the only epidemic

‘Epidemic’ of reduced opportunities for children and adolescents (especially girls) to be physically active, enjoyably and safely

Obesity not the only epidemic

‘Epidemic’ of ‘body judgementalism’ by the media, by peers, by clinicians and by themselves that is putting young people’s mental well-being at risk

Obesity: the need for a broad perspective

in our discussions at this forum we need to examine obesity in a very broad context so that efforts in prevention and intervention are successful and sensitive to the life circumstances and preoccupations of young people growing up in Europe today

What HBSC has to offer

• Data on key aspects of adolescent health their social and economic determinants in adolescents

• A conceptual framework for health improvement among adolescents that takes into account the wider social and developmental context

obesity

Eating behaviour

Physical activity

Mental health

‘HBSC obesity triangle’

genderSocioeconomic

factors

Environmental factors (social and physical)

Acknowledgements

Members of the HBSC

international research network

WHO Regional Office for Europe