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Educational patterns of health behaviors and body mass index: A longitudinal multiple correspondence analysis of a middle-aged general population, 2007–2016

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  • Ana Silvia Ibarra-Sanchez
  • Birgit Abelsen
  • Gang Chen
  • Torbjørn Wisløff

Abstract

Social differences in body mass index and health behaviors are a major public health challenge. The uneven distribution of unhealthy body mass index and of unhealthy behaviors such as smoking, physical inactivity, and harmful alcohol consumption has been shown to mediate social inequalities in chronic diseases. While differential exposures to these health variables have been investigated, the extent to which they vary over the lifetime in the same population and their relationship with level of education is not well understood. This study examines patterns of body mass index and multiple health behaviors (smoking, physical activity and alcohol consumption), and investigates their association with education level among adults living in Northern Norway. It presents findings from a longitudinal multiple correspondence analysis of the Tromsø Study. Longitudinal data from 8,906 adults aged 32–87 in 2007–2008, with repeated measurements in 2015–2016 were retrieved from the survey’s sixth and seventh waves. The findings suggest that most in the study population remained in the same categories of body mass index and the three health behaviors at the follow-up, with a clear educational gradient in healthy patterns. That is, both healthy changes and maintained healthy categories were associated with the highest education levels. Estimating differential exposures to mediators of health inequalities could benefit policy priority setting for tackling inequalities in health.

Suggested Citation

  • Ana Silvia Ibarra-Sanchez & Birgit Abelsen & Gang Chen & Torbjørn Wisløff, 2023. "Educational patterns of health behaviors and body mass index: A longitudinal multiple correspondence analysis of a middle-aged general population, 2007–2016," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 18(12), pages 1-15, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0295302
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0295302
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Daniel Nettle, 2010. "Why Are There Social Gradients in Preventative Health Behavior? A Perspective from Behavioral Ecology," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 5(10), pages 1-6, October.
    2. Giorgio Brunello & Margherita Fort & Nicole Schneeweis & Rudolf Winter‐Ebmer, 2016. "The Causal Effect of Education on Health: What is the Role of Health Behaviors?," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 25(3), pages 314-336, March.
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