Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dzt6s Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T14:33:28.517Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Variables independently associated with self-reported obesity in the European Union

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2007

JA Martínez ,
JM Kearney ,
A Kafatos ,
S Paquet  and
MA Martínez-Gonzélez
JA Martínez
Affiliation:
Department of Physiology and Nutrition and Public Health, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
JM Kearney
Affiliation:
Institute of European Food StudiesTrinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland
A Kafatos
Affiliation:
Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraclion, Greece
S Paquet
Affiliation:
Division de la Médicine Preventive Sociale, Luxembourg
MA Martínez-Gonzélez
Affiliation:
Department of Physiology and Nutrition and Public Health, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.
Objective

The rapid increase in obesity rates over recent years suggest that cultural and societal influences are affecting the adjustment in the energy balance equation in addition to other physiopathological or genetic determinants. Therefore, a pan-EU study was carried out to explore the influence of sociodemographic factors as well as some attitudes (smoking and exercise) on the prevalence of obesity in the adult population of all 15 member states of the EU.

Design

Overall, a sample of 15 239 individuals aged 15 years and upwards in the EU completed the questionnaire. Subject selection was quota-controlled to make the sample nationally representative following a multistage stratified cluster sampling. Self-reported height and weight were used to calculate body mass index (BMI).

Results

From the EU average results, it can be seen that only about half of the EU population (48%) is within the normal weight range, while the obesity (BMI > ≥ 30 kg m−2) prevalence was about 10% in the EU and the overweight prevalence was 36.6% and 25.6% among men and women, respectively. UK subjects had the highest prevalence of obesity (12%), while Italians, French and Swedes had the lowest levels of obesity (about 7%). Concerning age and social class interactions, logistic regression analysis showed that high social class and younger individuals in all groups had a lower odds ratio for obesity prevalence. People with a higher level of education are less likely to be obese, while the interaction between educational levels and obesity was different for men and women. A low participation in various leisure-time physical activities, the lack of interest (precontemplation) in being involved in exercise/physical activity and the increasing number of hours sitting down at work appear to be predictors of obesity. Single individuals were less prone to become obese than couples or widowed/divorced people. Finally, smoking status was statistically linked to the prevalence of obesity, since non-smokers or ex-smokers for more than 1 year presented a higher tendency for a BMI > 30.

Conclusions

This survey confirms that a priority area for health intervention aimed at preventing the development of obesity should be to increase levels of physical activity, although the approach will depend on the population, especially with respect to educational and socioeconomic aspects.

Keywords

ObesitySelf-reported BMIPhysical activityEuropean Union
Type
Research Article
Information
Public Health Nutrition , Volume 2 , Supplement 1a , January 1999 , pp. 125 - 133
Copyright
Copyright © CABI Publishing 1999

References

1Steptoe, A, Wardle, J. What the experts think: a European study of expert opinion about the influence of lifestyle on health. Eur. J. Epidemiol. 1994; 10: 195–203.Google Scholar
2Ashenden, R, Silagy, C, Weller, D. A systematic review of the effectiveness of promoting lifestyle change in general practice. Fam. Pract. 1997; 14: 160–76.Google ScholarPubMed
3Blair, SN, Horton, E, Leon, AS, et al. Physical activity, nutrition, and chronic disease. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 1996; 28: 335–49.Google ScholarPubMed
4Martínez, JA. Nutrición, Metabolismo y Obesidad: Avances y, Nuevas Perspectivas. San Sebastién: Universidad del País Vasco, 1996.Google Scholar
5Bray, GA, Bouchard, C, James, WPT. Handbook of Obesity. New York: Marcel Dekker, 1998.Google Scholar
6Hill, JO, Peters, JC. Environmental contributions to the obesity epidemic. Science 1998; 280: 1371–4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7World Health Organization. Obesity. Preventing and Managing the Global Epidemic. Geneva: World Health Organization, 1998.Google Scholar
8Drenoski, A, Potkin, BM. The nutrition transition: trends in the global diet. Nutr. Rev. 1997; 55: 31–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9Department of Health. Obesity: a Report from the Nutrition and Physical Activity Task Forces. Reversing the Increasing Problem of Obesity. London: HMSO, 1996.Google Scholar
10Gill, TP. Key issues in the prevention of obesity. Br. Med. Bull. 1997; 53: 359–88.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
11Jeffery, RW. Community programs for obesity prevention. Obes. Res. 1995; 3: S203–8.Google ScholarPubMed
12Cowburn, G, Hillsdwon, M, Hankey, CR. Obesity management by life-style strategies. Br. Med. Bull. 1997; 53: 389–408.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
13Coakley, EH, Rimm, EB, Colditz, G, Kawachi, I, Willett, W. Predictors of weight change in men: results from the health professionals follow-up study. Int. J. Obes. Relat. Metab. Disord. 1998; 22: 89–96.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
14Williamson, DA, O'Neill, PM. Behavioural and psychological correlates of obesity. In: Bray, GA, Bouchard, C, James, WPT, eds. Handbook of Obesity. New York: Marcel Dekker, 1998; 129–42.Google Scholar
15Kolotkin, RL, Head, S, Hamilton, M. Assessing the impact of weight on quality of life. Obes. Res. 1995; 3: 49–56.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
16Kearney, M, Kearney, JM, Gibney, MJ. Methods used to conduct surveys on consumer attitudes to food, nutrition and health. Eur. J. Clin. Nutr. 1997; 59: 53–7.Google Scholar
17IEFS. A pan EU Survey on Consumer Attitudes to Physical Activity, Body Weight and Health. Luxembourg: Directorate General, European Union, 1998.Google Scholar
18ICC/ESOMAR. Code of Marketing and Social Research Practice. Amsterdam: ICC, 1990.Google Scholar
19Prochaska, JD, Norcross, JC, Fowler, JL. Attendance and outcome at work control program: processes and stages of change as process and predictor variables. Addict. Behav. 1992; 17: 35–45.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
20Kriska, AM, Caspersen, CJ. Introduction to a collection of physical activity questionnaires. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 1997; 29: S5–9.Google Scholar
21Martínez-González, MA. Bioestadística. Pamplona: New Book Ed., 1997.Google Scholar
22Almeida, MDV, Grace, P, Lappalainen, R, et al. Sources used and trusted by nationally representative adults in the EU for information on healthy eating. Eur. J. Clin. Nutr. 1997; 51: S16–23.Google Scholar
23WHO–Monica Project. Risk factors. Int. J. Epidemiol. 1989; 18: S46–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
24Seidell, JC. Obesity in Europe—scaling a epidemic. Int. J. Obes. 1995; 19: S1–4.Google Scholar
25Prentice, AM, Jebb, SA. Obesity in Britain: gluttony or sloth? BMJ 1995; 311: 437–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
26Seidell, JC, Rissanen, AM. Time trends in the world wide prevalence of obesity. In: Bra, GA, Bouchard, C, James, WPT, eds. Handbook of Obesity. New York: Marcel Dekker, 1998, 79–92.Google Scholar
27Gortmaker, SL, Must, A, Perrin, JM, Sobal, AM, Dietz, WH. Social and economic consequences of overweight in adolescents and young adulthood. N. Engl. J. Med. 1993; 329: 1008–12.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
28Brown, PJ, Bentley-Counder, VK. Culture, evolution, obesity. In: Bray, GA, Bouchard, C, James, WPT, eds. Handbook of Obesity. New York: Marcel Dekker, 1998; 143–56.Google Scholar
29Brown, PJ. Culture and the evolution of obesity. Hum. Nat. 1991; 2: 31–57.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
30Baba, S, Zimmet, P, World Data Book on Obesity. New York: Elsevier Science, 1990.Google Scholar
31Sorenssen, TI, Holst, C, Stunkard, AJ. Adoption study of environmental modifications of the genetic influences on obesity. Int. J. Obes. Relat. Metab. Disord. 1998; 22: 73–81.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
32Sundquist, J, Johansson, SE. The influence of socio-economic status, ethnicity and lifestyle on body mass index in a longitudinal study. Int. J. Epidemiol. 1998; 27: 57–63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
33Goldblatt, PB, Moore, ME, Stunkard, AJ. Social factors in obesity. JAMA 1995; 191: 1039–44.Google Scholar
34Wamala, SP, Wolk, A, Orth-Gomer, K. Determinants of obesity in relation to socio-economic status among middle-aged Swedish women. Prev. Med. 1997; 26: 734–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
35Sobal, J, Rauschenbach, BS, Frongillo, EA Jr. Marital status, fatness and obesity. Soc. Sci. Med. 1992; 35: 915–23.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
36Friedman, EH. Fatness and obesity among married men at lower risk for mortality and morbidity may be due to less physiological arousal. Soc. Sci. Med. 1993; 36: 583.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
37Kahn, HS, Williamson, DF, Stevens, JA. Race and weight change in US women: the roles of socio-economic and marital status. Am. J. Public Health 1991; 81: 319–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
38Herman, AA, Yu, KF. Adolescent age at first pregnancy and subsequent obesity. Paediatr. Perinat. Epidemiol. 1997; 11: 130–41.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
39Wolfe, WS, Sobal, J, Olson, CM, Frongillo, EA Jr. Parity-associated body weight: modification by socio-demographic and behavioural factors. Obes. Res. 1997; 5: 131–41.Google Scholar
40Williamson, DF. Smoking cessation and severity of weight gain in a national cohort. N. Engl. J. Med. 1991; 324: 739–45.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
41Grumberg, NE. Biological factors in the relationship between tobacco use and body weight. Adv. Behav. Med. 1986; 2: 97–129.Google Scholar
42Al-Nuaim, AA, Bamgboye, EA, Al-Rubeaan, KA, Al-Mazrou, Y. Overweight and obesity in Saudi Arabian adult population: role of socio-demographic variables. J. Comm. Health 1997; 22: 211–23.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
43Willett, WC. Is dietary fat a major determinant of body fat? Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 1998; 67: S556–62.Google Scholar
44Heini, AF, Weinsier, RL. Divergent trends in obesity and fat intake patterns: the American paradox. Am. J. Med. 1997; 192: 259–64.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
45Ferro-Luzzi, A, Martino, L. Obesity and physical activity. Ciba Found. Symp. 1996; 201: 207–27.Google ScholarPubMed
46Fitzgerald, SJ, Kriska, AM, Pereira, MA, De-Courten, MP. Associations among physical activity, television watching and obesity in adult Pima Indians. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 1997; 29: 910–15.Google ScholarPubMed
47Prochaska, JD, Velicer, WF, Rossi, JS. Stages of change and decisional balance for 12 problem behaviours. Health Psychol. 1994; 13: 39–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
48Haapanen, N, Miilunpalo, S, Pasanen, M, Oja, P, Vouri, I, Association between leisure time physical activity and 10 year body mass change among working-aged men and women. Int. J. Obes. Relat. Metab. Disord. 1997; 21: 288–96.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
49Ward, DS, Trost, SG, Felton, G, et al. Physical activity and physical fitness in African American girls with and without obesity. Obes. Res. 1997; 4: 572–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
50Wolk, A, Rossner, S. Obesity and self-perceived health in Sweden. Int. J. Obes. Relat. Metab. Disord. 1996; 20: 369–72.Google ScholarPubMed
51Talvi, AI, Jarvisalo, JO, Knuts, LR, Kaitaniemi, PR. Life-style related health promotion needs in oil refinery employees. Occup. Med. 1998; 48: 45–53.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
52Heitmann, BL, Kaprio, J, Harris, JR, Rissanen, A, Korkeila, M, Koskenvou, M. Are genetic determinants of weight gain modified by leisure time physical activity? A prospective study of Finnish twins. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 1997; 66: 672–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
53Steptoe, A, Wardle, J, Fuller, R, et al. Leisure-time physical exercise: prevalence, attitudinal correlates, and behavioural correlates among young Europeans from 21 countries. Prev. Med. 1997; 26: 845–54.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
54Zunft, HJF, Friebe, D, Seppelt, B, et al. Perceived benefits of healthy eating among a nationally-representative sample of adults in the European Union. Eur. J. Clin. Nutr. 1997; 51: S41–6.Google ScholarPubMed
55Johnson, WG, Hinkle, LK, Carr, RE, et al. Dietary and exercise interventions for juvenile obesity: long-term effect of behavioural and public health models. Obes. Res. 1997; 5: 257–61.Google ScholarPubMed
56Stafford, M, Hemingway, H, Marmot, M. Current obesity, steady weight change and weight fluctuation as predictors of physical functioning in middle aged office workers: the Whitehall II study. Int. J. Obes. Relat. Metab. Disord. 1998; 22: 23–31.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
57Cade, J, O'Donnell, S. Management of obesity. Knowledge attitudes and current practice of general practitioners. Br. J. General Pract. 1991; 41: 147–50.Google ScholarPubMed
58Will, PM, Demko, TM, George, DL. Prescribing exercise for health: a simple framework for primary care. Am. Fam. Physician 1996; 53: 579–85.Google Scholar
59Blair, SN, Nooth, M, Gyarfas, I, et al. Development of public policy and physical activity initiatives internationally. Sports Med. 1996; 21: 157–63.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
60Hendricks, KM, Herbold, NH. Diet, activity, and other health-related behaviours in college-age women. Nutr. Rev. 1998; 56: 65–75.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
61King, AC. Community intervention for promotion of physical and fitness. Exerc. Sport Sci. Rev. 1991; 91: 211–59.Google Scholar