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Socioeconomic Status in Adolescents: A Study of Its Relationship with Overweight and Obesity and Influence on Social Network Configuration

Author

Listed:
  • Natalia Arias

    (SALBIS Research Group, Department of Nursing and Physiotherapy Health Science School, University of León, Avenida Astorga s/n, Ponferrada 24401, León, Spain)

  • María Dolores Calvo

    (Administrative Law, Law Faculty, University of Salamanca, Salamanca 37008, Spain)

  • José Alberto Benítez-Andrades

    (SALBIS Research Group, Department of Electric, Systems and Automatics Engineering, University of León, Campus of Vegazana s/n, León, 24071, León, Spain)

  • María José Álvarez

    (SALBIS Research Group, Department of Nursing and Physiotherapy Health Science School, University of León, Avenida Astorga s/n, Ponferrada 24401, León, Spain)

  • Beatriz Alonso-Cortés

    (SALBIS Research Group, Department of Nursing and Physiotherapy Health Science School, University of León, Avenida Astorga s/n, Ponferrada 24401, León, Spain)

  • Carmen Benavides

    (SALBIS Research Group, Department of Electric, Systems and Automatics Engineering, University of León, Campus of Vegazana s/n, León, 24071, León, Spain)

Abstract

Socioeconomic status (SES) influences all the determinants of health, conditioning health throughout life. The aim of the present study was to explore the relationship between socioeconomic status and obesity in adolescence through an analysis of the patterns of contact between peers as a function of this parameter. A cross-sectional study was performed, analyzing a sample of 235 students aged 14 to 18 and 11 class networks. Social network analysis was used to analyze structural variables of centrality from a sociocentric perspective. We found that adolescents with a medium-low SES presented a two-fold higher probability of being overweight, but we did not detect any differences in the configuration of their social networks when compared with those of normal-weight adolescents. However, we did find significant differences in the formation of networks according to SES in the overall sample and disaggregated by gender, whereby adolescents with a high SES in general presented a higher capacity to form wider social networks. Elucidating the relationship between SES and overweight and its influence on social network formation can contribute to the design of preventative strategies against overweight and obesity in adolescents, since their social environment can provide them with several resources to combat excess weight.

Suggested Citation

  • Natalia Arias & María Dolores Calvo & José Alberto Benítez-Andrades & María José Álvarez & Beatriz Alonso-Cortés & Carmen Benavides, 2018. "Socioeconomic Status in Adolescents: A Study of Its Relationship with Overweight and Obesity and Influence on Social Network Configuration," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-17, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:15:y:2018:i:9:p:2014-:d:170001
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Félix Zurita-Ortega & Georgian Badicu & Ramón Chacón-Cuberos & Manuel Castro-Sánchez, 2019. "Motivational Climate and Physical Activity: A Multigroup Analysis in Romanian and Spanish University Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(11), pages 1-12, June.

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