Table_1_Are relative educational inequalities in multiple health behaviors widening? A longitudinal study of middle-aged adults in Northern Norway.DOCX

• Main Authors: Ana Silvia Ibarra-Sanchez, Gang Chen, Torbjørn Wisløff
• Format: Dataset
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: Mental Health Nursing; Midwifery; Nursing not elsewhere classified; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health; Aged Health Care; Care for Disabled; Community Child Health; Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety; Epidemiology; Family Care; Health and Community Services; Health Care Administration; Health Counselling; Health Information Systems (incl. Surveillance); Health Promotion; Preventive Medicine; Primary Health Care; Public Health and Health Services not elsewhere classified; Nanotoxicology; Health and Safety; Medicine; Nursing and Health Curriculum and Pedagogy; educational inequality; health behavior; socioeconomic disparities; health guidelines; the Tromsø Study; Northern Norway; Tromsø
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1190087.s001; https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/Table_1_Are_relative_educational_inequalities_in_multiple_health_behaviors_widening_A_longitudinal_study_of_middle-aged_adults_in_Northern_Norway_DOCX/24003045

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.