Socioeconomic inequalities in child obesity and overweight in Portugal

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to assess the association between socioeconomic status and child overweight/obesity in Portugal and to evaluate income-related inequalities in its distribution. Design/methodology/approach - Data come from the last Portuguese National Health Survey (2005/2006) sample of 6,903 observations. To define child overweight/obesity, the International Obesity Task Force cut-offs for body mass index (BMI) were used; the logistic regression analysis was adopted to explain the risk of overweight/obesity and inequality was measured by means of concentration curve and index. Findings - The evidence obtained points to income-related inequalities in child overweight/obesity favourable to the better-off. The probability of child overweight/obesity was lower for higher income households, but up to a certain point a positive association between income and caloric food intake was found. The concentration index obtained was - 0.072 (p-valueo0.001). Research limitations/implications - Some data limitations, no information on: physical exercise; sleeping habits; parents' education and BMI; age is coded in groups. Although the data are from 2005/2006, the current analysis is useful to future works aiming to discuss the impact of the economic and financial crisis which occurred after these data were collected. Social implications - It is important to tailor policies targeting child obesity/overweight in order to tackle not only the prevalence of this disease but also its distribution. Originality/value - Drawing attention on inequalities in child obesity/overweight in Portugal as the vast majority of studies have focussed on prevalence. The middle income effect is an issue raised in this work which deserves further investigation.