• Francine Ríos-Fetchko, Alicia Fernández, Raúl Mejía, and M Victoria Salgado.
• University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
• Medicina (B Aires). 2023 Jan 1; 83 (3): 366375366-375.

BackgroundObesity rates in Latin America are increasing overall and among people with low socioeconomic status (SES). Obesity and SES disparities can vary by region-a valuable indicator of local drivers. The objective of this study was to examine regional and SES differences in obesity in Argentina.MethodsWe used data from Argentina's 4th National Risk Factors Survey (n = 29226) 2018 and defined obesity as BMI = 30. Low SES was defined as not finished high school or having a household income in the lowest two quintiles. Descriptive analysis stratified by sex compared obesity rates by SES, province, and region. Age-adjusted logistic regression models explored the association between obesity, socioeconomic status, and region.ResultsObesity rates varied more by SES among women (39% for low SES vs. 26% for middle/high SES; p < 0.001) than among men (33% low SES vs. 29% middle/ high SES; p = 0.027). The Patagonian region had the highest obesity prevalence for both men (36%) and women (37%). A gender-stratified age-adjusted analysis with region and SES showed that low SES (OR 1.72, 95% CI 1.45, 2.03) and the Patagonian region (OR 1.29, 95% CI 1.02, 1.62) were the only significant predictors for women.ConclusionsSES associated disparities in obesity in Argentina were pronounced for women but not men. Disparities were particularly high in Patagonia. Further research is needed to understand the drivers behind these SES, regional, and gender disparities.

14 keywords...

hide…