Zhang Qi, Wang Youfa
Department of Medicine, MC2007, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
Soc Sci Med. 2004 Mar;58(6):1171-80. doi: 10.1016/s0277-9536(03)00288-0.
This study introduces the concentration index (CI) to assess socioeconomic inequality in the distribution of obesity among American adults aged 18-60 years old. The CI provides a summary measure of socioeconomic inequality, and enabled comparisons across gender, age, and ethnicity. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III, 1988-1994 (NHANES III) were used. The degree of socioeconomic inequality in obesity varied considerably across gender, age, and ethnic groups. Among women, we found a stronger, inverse association between socioeconomic status (SES) and obesity compared with men, as well as greater socioeconomic inequality among middle-aged adults (41-49) compared to other age groups. Consistent with previous studies, we found remarkable ethnic differences in the relationship between SES and obesity. Although the extant literature documented a higher prevalence of obesity among minorities than in whites, our results presented a lower socioeconomic inequality in obesity within minority groups. Our analyses suggested that gender, age, and ethnicity could be important factors on socioeconomic inequality in obesity.
本研究引入浓度指数（CI）来评估18至60岁美国成年人肥胖分布中的社会经济不平等情况。浓度指数提供了社会经济不平等的一个汇总衡量指标，并能够进行跨性别、年龄和种族的比较。使用了1988 - 1994年第三次全国健康和营养检查调查（NHANES III）的数据。肥胖方面的社会经济不平等程度在不同性别、年龄和种族群体中差异很大。在女性中，我们发现社会经济地位（SES）与肥胖之间的负相关关系比男性更强，并且与其他年龄组相比，中年成年人（41 - 49岁）中的社会经济不平等程度更大。与先前的研究一致，我们发现社会经济地位与肥胖之间的关系存在显著的种族差异。尽管现有文献记载少数族裔中的肥胖患病率高于白人，但我们的结果显示少数族裔群体内部肥胖方面的社会经济不平等程度较低。我们的分析表明，性别、年龄和种族可能是肥胖社会经济不平等的重要因素。
