Embodying Social Rank: How body fat varies with social status, gender and ethnicity in New Zealand

Embodying Social Rank
How body fat varies with social status, gender and ethnicity in New Zealand

Public Health Intelligence, Occasional Bulletin No. 34

Date of publication: October 2006

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Summary

Obesity is widely recognised to be a major public health concern, and inequalities in body fat distribution are of great current interest. This bulletin uses data from the 2002/03 New Zealand Health Survey to analyse ethnic and gender variations in socio-economic gradients in body fat distribution, using a range of measures of body fat and of socio-economic position.

The magnitude and even the direction of the socio-economic gradients in body mass index and waist circumference were found to vary between males and females and between Maori and nonMaori ethnic groups.

These differences may reflect differential timing of the obesity epidemic in these population groups, cultural or behavioural differences, and / or differential lifecourse effects. If so, the ethnic and gender differences in the gradients may be expected to change over time.

These inequalities, and any future trends in these inequalities, may need to be taken into account when designing or evaluating policies under the Healthy Eating Healthy Action initiative.

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Date of publication: October 2006

ISBN 0-478-30066-2 (Book)
ISBN 0-478-30067-0 (Website)

HP number: 4311

Citation: Ministry of Health. 2006. Embodying Social Rank: How body fat varies with social status, gender and ethnicity in New Zealand. Public Health Intelligence Occasional Bulletin No. 34. Wellington: Ministry of Health.

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Public Health Intelligence
Obesity