Are relative educational inequalities in multiple health behaviors widening? A longitudinal study of middle-aged adults in Northern Norway
Introduction Educational inequality in multiple health behaviors is rarely monitored using data from the same individuals as they age. The aim of this study is to research changes in relative educational inequality in multiple variables related to health behavior (smoking, physical activity, alcohol...
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1190087 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1190087/full |
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crfrontiers:10.3389/fpubh.2023.1190087 2024-02-11T10:07:08+01:00 Are relative educational inequalities in multiple health behaviors widening? A longitudinal study of middle-aged adults in Northern Norway Ibarra-Sanchez, Ana Silvia Chen, Gang Wisløff, Torbjørn 2023 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1190087 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1190087/full unknown Frontiers Media SA https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Frontiers in Public Health volume 11 ISSN 2296-2565 Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health journal-article 2023 crfrontiers https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1190087 2024-01-26T10:06:59Z Introduction Educational inequality in multiple health behaviors is rarely monitored using data from the same individuals as they age. The aim of this study is to research changes in relative educational inequality in multiple variables related to health behavior (smoking, physical activity, alcohol intake, and body mass index), separately and collectively (healthy lifestyle), among middle-aged adults living in Northern Norway. Methods Data from adult respondents aged 32–87 in 2008 with repeated measurements in 2016 ( N = 8,906) were drawn from the sixth and seventh waves of the Tromsø Study. Logistic regression was used to assess the relative educational inequality in the variables related to health behavior. The analyses were performed for the total sample and separately for women and men at both baseline and follow-up. Results Educational inequality was observed in all the variables related to health behavior at baseline and follow-up, in both men and women. Higher levels of educational attainment were associated with healthier categories (non-daily smoking, physical activity, normal body mass index, and a healthy lifestyle), but also with high alcohol intake. The prevalence of daily smoking and physical inactivity decreased during the surveyed period, while high alcohol intake, having a body mass index outside of the normal range and adhering to multiple health recommendations simultaneously increased. The magnitude of relative educational inequality measured at baseline increased at the follow-up in all the variables related to health behavior. Differences were larger among women when compared to men, except in physical inactivity. Conclusion Persistent and increasing relative disparities in health behavior between the highest education level and lower education levels are found in countries with well-established and comprehensive welfare systems like Norway. Addressing these inequalities is essential for reducing both the chronic disease burden and educational disparities in health. Article in Journal/Newspaper Northern Norway Tromsø Frontiers (Publisher) Norway Tromsø Frontiers in Public Health 11 |
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Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health |
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Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health Ibarra-Sanchez, Ana Silvia Chen, Gang Wisløff, Torbjørn Are relative educational inequalities in multiple health behaviors widening? A longitudinal study of middle-aged adults in Northern Norway |
topic_facet |
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health |
description |
Introduction Educational inequality in multiple health behaviors is rarely monitored using data from the same individuals as they age. The aim of this study is to research changes in relative educational inequality in multiple variables related to health behavior (smoking, physical activity, alcohol intake, and body mass index), separately and collectively (healthy lifestyle), among middle-aged adults living in Northern Norway. Methods Data from adult respondents aged 32–87 in 2008 with repeated measurements in 2016 ( N = 8,906) were drawn from the sixth and seventh waves of the Tromsø Study. Logistic regression was used to assess the relative educational inequality in the variables related to health behavior. The analyses were performed for the total sample and separately for women and men at both baseline and follow-up. Results Educational inequality was observed in all the variables related to health behavior at baseline and follow-up, in both men and women. Higher levels of educational attainment were associated with healthier categories (non-daily smoking, physical activity, normal body mass index, and a healthy lifestyle), but also with high alcohol intake. The prevalence of daily smoking and physical inactivity decreased during the surveyed period, while high alcohol intake, having a body mass index outside of the normal range and adhering to multiple health recommendations simultaneously increased. The magnitude of relative educational inequality measured at baseline increased at the follow-up in all the variables related to health behavior. Differences were larger among women when compared to men, except in physical inactivity. Conclusion Persistent and increasing relative disparities in health behavior between the highest education level and lower education levels are found in countries with well-established and comprehensive welfare systems like Norway. Addressing these inequalities is essential for reducing both the chronic disease burden and educational disparities in health. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Ibarra-Sanchez, Ana Silvia Chen, Gang Wisløff, Torbjørn |
author_facet |
Ibarra-Sanchez, Ana Silvia Chen, Gang Wisløff, Torbjørn |
author_sort |
Ibarra-Sanchez, Ana Silvia |
title |
Are relative educational inequalities in multiple health behaviors widening? A longitudinal study of middle-aged adults in Northern Norway |
title_short |
Are relative educational inequalities in multiple health behaviors widening? A longitudinal study of middle-aged adults in Northern Norway |
title_full |
Are relative educational inequalities in multiple health behaviors widening? A longitudinal study of middle-aged adults in Northern Norway |
title_fullStr |
Are relative educational inequalities in multiple health behaviors widening? A longitudinal study of middle-aged adults in Northern Norway |
title_full_unstemmed |
Are relative educational inequalities in multiple health behaviors widening? A longitudinal study of middle-aged adults in Northern Norway |
title_sort |
are relative educational inequalities in multiple health behaviors widening? a longitudinal study of middle-aged adults in northern norway |
publisher |
Frontiers Media SA |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1190087 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1190087/full |
geographic |
Norway Tromsø |
geographic_facet |
Norway Tromsø |
genre |
Northern Norway Tromsø |
genre_facet |
Northern Norway Tromsø |
op_source |
Frontiers in Public Health volume 11 ISSN 2296-2565 |
op_rights |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1190087 |
container_title |
Frontiers in Public Health |
container_volume |
11 |
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1790605279580127232 |