IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/dem/demres/v46y2022i10.html

A reversal in the obesity epidemic? A quasi-cohort and gender-oriented analysis in Spain

Author

Listed:
  • Juan Manuel Garcia-Gonzalez

    (Universidad Pablo de Olavide (UPO))

  • Enrique Martin-Criado

    (Universidad Pablo de Olavide (UPO))

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of obesity has recently stabilized in some developed countries. Some studies show this stabilization in Spain, but they do not analyse its evolution by cohort. Objective: This paper analyses the transformation of the Spanish population over time and between quasi-cohorts of weight change by age and sex. Methods: Data was taken from seven waves of the National Health Survey of Spain between 1995 and 2017, with a sample of 100,206 individuals aged 20–79 years old. Adjusted prevalence of being overweight and obesity were calculated. The changes in body mass index (BMI) by sex and age, by and between quasi-birth cohorts, and over time were analysed using test of proportions, ANOVA, and the t-test. Results: The prevalence of excessive body weight has stabilized or decreased in men since 2017 and in women since 1997. Among men, the prevalence of obesity stabilized recently and weight gain with age decreased after the 1950s cohort. Among women, mean BMI and excessive body weight decreased after the 1940s cohort. Conclusions: Our findings showed a stabilization and subsequent decrease in excessive body weight that is recent among men but took place more than two decades ago among women. Contribution: This is the first study that analyses the evolution of obesity by comparing the age-related weight gains between quasi-cohorts. This is also the first study that analyses the stabilization of excessive body weight in Spain by quasi-cohort, age, and sex, and that shows that this stabilization is due to a bigger weight control among the older cohorts in the older ages.

Suggested Citation

  • Juan Manuel Garcia-Gonzalez & Enrique Martin-Criado, 2022. "A reversal in the obesity epidemic? A quasi-cohort and gender-oriented analysis in Spain," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 46(10), pages 273-290.
    • Handle: RePEc:dem:demres:v:46:y:2022:i:10
    DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2022.46.10
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.demographic-research.org/volumes/vol46/10/46-10.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.4054/DemRes.2022.46.10?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Reither, Eric N. & Hauser, Robert M. & Yang, Yang, 2009. "Do birth cohorts matter? Age-period-cohort analyses of the obesity epidemic in the United States," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 69(10), pages 1439-1448, November.
    2. Nikoletta Vidra & Maarten J. Bijlsma & Sergi Trias-Llimós & Fanny Janssen, 2018. "Past trends in obesity-attributable mortality in eight European countries: an application of age–period–cohort analysis," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 63(6), pages 683-692, July.
    3. Baum II, Charles L. & Ruhm, Christopher J., 2009. "Age, socioeconomic status and obesity growth," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 28(3), pages 635-648, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ovrum, Arnstein & Gustavsen, Geir Waehler & Rickertsen, Kyrre, 2012. "Health inequalities over the adult life course: the role of lifestyle choices," 2012 Conference, August 18-24, 2012, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil 125862, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    2. Zoë Fannon & Christiaan Monden & Bent Nielsen, 2018. "Age-period-cohort modelling and covariates, with an application to obesity in England 2001-2014," Economics Papers 2018-W05, Economics Group, Nuffield College, University of Oxford.
    3. Gandal Neil & Shabelansky Anastasia, 2010. "Obesity and Price Sensitivity at the Supermarket," Forum for Health Economics & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 13(2), pages 1-19, July.
    4. Kröger, Hannes & Leopold, Liliya, 2020. "Education Differences in Women’s Body Weight Trajectories: The Role of Motherhood," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 15(9).
    5. Newton, Nicky J. & Ryan, Lindsay H. & King, Rachel T. & Smith, Jacqui, 2014. "Cohort differences in the marriage–health relationship for midlife women," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 64-72.
    6. Francesco Bimbo & Rosaria Viscecchia & Gianluca Nardone, 2013. "L?effetto della "filiera corta" sul livello di obesit? in Italia," Economia agro-alimentare, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 15(2), pages 97-110.
    7. Scott Carson, 2015. "A Weighty Issue: Diminished Net Nutrition Among the U.S. Working Class in the Nineteenth Century," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 52(3), pages 945-966, June.
    8. Reither, Eric N. & Masters, Ryan K. & Yang, Yang Claire & Powers, Daniel A. & Zheng, Hui & Land, Kenneth C., 2015. "Should age-period-cohort studies return to the methodologies of the 1970s?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 356-365.
    9. Cavaliere, Alessia & De Marchi, Elisa & Banterle, Alessandro, 2013. "Time Preference and Health: The Problem of Obesity," 2013 International European Forum, February 18-22, 2013, Innsbruck-Igls, Austria 164754, International European Forum on System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks.
    10. Caliendo, Marco & Gehrsitz, Markus, 2016. "Obesity and the labor market: A fresh look at the weight penalty," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 23(C), pages 209-225.
    11. Sayaka Sakoda, 2022. "Full-Time or Working Caregiver? A Health Economics Perspective on the Supply of Care for Type 1 Diabetes Patients," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-16, January.
    12. Molly A. Martin & Margaret Gough Courtney & Adam M. Lippert, 2022. "The Risks and Consequences of Skipping Meals for Low-Income Mothers," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 41(6), pages 2613-2644, December.
    13. repec:plo:pone00:0161994 is not listed on IDEAS
    14. Ryan Masters & Robert Hummer & Daniel Powers & Audrey Beck & Shih-Fan Lin & Brian Finch, 2014. "Long-Term Trends in Adult Mortality for U.S. Blacks and Whites: An Examination of Period- and Cohort-Based Changes," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 51(6), pages 2047-2073, December.
    15. Rainer Reile & Aleksei Baburin & Tatjana Veideman & Mall Leinsalu, 2020. "Long-term trends in the body mass index and obesity risk in Estonia: an age–period–cohort approach," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 65(6), pages 859-869, July.
    16. Griffith, Rachel & O'Connell, Martin & Smith, Kate & Cherchye, Laurens & De Rock, Bram & Vermeulen, Frederic, 2017. "A new year, a new you? Heterogeneity and self-control in food purchases," CEPR Discussion Papers 12499, Centre for Economic Policy Research.
    17. Olivier Bargain & Jinan Zeidan, 2014. "The Direct Effect of Obesity on Emotional Well-Being: Evidence from Mexico," AMSE Working Papers 1432, Aix-Marseille School of Economics, France, revised 16 Jul 2014.
    18. Mathias Huebener, 2017. "Intergenerational Effects of Education on Risky Health Behaviours and Long-Term Health," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 1709, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    19. Andrew Bell & Kelvyn Jones, 2018. "The hierarchical age–period–cohort model: Why does it find the results that it finds?," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 52(2), pages 783-799, March.
    20. Lanlin Ding & Andrew M. Jones & Peng Nie, 2022. "Ex ante Inequality of Opportunity in Health among the Elderly in China: A Distributional Decomposition Analysis of Biomarkers," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 68(4), pages 922-950, December.
    21. Viego, Valentina N. & Temporelli , Karina L., 2011. "Sobrepeso y obesidad en Argentina. Un análisis basado en técnicas de econometría espacial/Overweigh and Obesity in Argentina. A Spatial Approach," Estudios de Economia Aplicada, Estudios de Economia Aplicada, vol. 29, pages 915(26á)-91, Diciembre.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:dem:demres:v:46:y:2022:i:10. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Editorial Office (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.demogr.mpg.de/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.