The Relationship of Socioeconomic Status and Obesity in Youth

by Rebecca Q. Eng, RN, BSN Washington State University April 2009 Chair: Ruth Bindler Childhood obesity has become epidemic in industrialized countries with increasing numbers of children considered overweight or obese. The heightened levels of obesity and obesity--related illness among children and adults have led to growing concern and governmental demand for preventative measures. Lower socioeconomic status has been linked to higher levels of obesity. Evidence has shown that specific social determinants can lead to vast inequities in health within society. The increase in scientific attention on the social determinants of health has led to an improved understanding of how sensitive health is to social environments. This paper reviews the relationship between socioeconomic status and childhood overweight and obesity. Further, it reviews and compares the impact of socioeconomic status on obesity/overweight levels between genders. Findings show that there is a relationship between socioeconomic status and overweight/obesity. There are differences between gender and the effect socioeconomic status has on weight patterns. In developing health care policy related to childhood overweight/obesity treatment studies are needed to further determine the benefits of early childhood environmental intervention.