Urban living and obesity: is it independent of its population and lifestyle characteristics?
Abstract
Summary: Objectives Living in an urban area influences obesity. However, little is known about whether this relationship is truly independent of, or merely mediated through, the demographic, socio‐economic and lifestyle characteristics of urban populations. We aimed to identify and quantify the magnitude of this relationship in a Sri Lankan population. Methods Cross‐sectional study of adults aged 20–64 years representing the urban (n = 770) and rural (n = 630) populations, in the district of Colombo in 2004. Obesity was measured as a continuous variable using body mass index (BMI). Demographic, socio‐economic and lifestyle factors were assessed. Gender‐specific multivariable regression models were developed to quantify the independent effect of urban/ rural living and other variables on increased BMI. Results The BMI (mean; 95% confidence interval) differed significantly between urban (men: 23.3; 22.8–23.8; women: 24.2; 23.7–24.7) and rural (men: 22.3; 21.9–22.7; women: 23.2; 22.7–23.7) sectors (P < 0.01). The observed association remained stable independently of all other variables in the regression models among both men (coefficient = 0.64) and women (coefficient = 0.95). These coefficients equated to 2.2 kg weight for the average man and 1.7 kg for the average woman. Other independent associations of BMI were with income (coefficient = 1.74), marital status (1.48), meal size (1.53) and religion (1.20) among men, and with age (0.87), marital status (2.25) and physical activity (0.96) among women. Conclusions Urban living is associated with obesity independently of most other demographic, socio‐economic and lifestyle characteristics of the population. Targeting urban populations may be useful for consideration when developing strategies to reduce the prevalence of obesity.
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Among the 25 highest-quality weight studies, 11 (44%) reported greater weight among the more R/S and five (20%) found lower weight or less underweight.
“Among the 25 studies with the highest quality ratings, 11 (44%) reported greater weight among the more R/S [82, 317–322] and five (20%) found lower weight (or less underweight [323]).”
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- Authors
- Arambepola, C., Allender, S., Ekanayake, R., & Fernando, D.
- Affiliations
- University of Oxford (GB)
- National Hospital of Sri Lanka (LK)
- University of Colombo (LK)
- Corresponding author
- Arambepola, Carukshi
- Venue
- Tropical Medicine & International Health
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2008-03-10
- Volume
- 13
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 448-457
- ISSN
- 1360-2276 (ISSN-L)
- 1365-3156
- OpenAlex
- W1701047691
- Cited by
- 33
- References
- 34
- Citations by year
- 2024: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 5 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 6
- FWCI
- 1.66
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Tropical Medicine & International Health (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Oxford University Research Archive (ORA) (University of Oxford) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
- Social Sciences › Transportation › Urban Transport and Accessibility
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Diabetes, Cardiovascular Risks, and Lipoproteins
- Keywords
- urban life, obesity, body mass index, urban-rural differences, socioeconomic factors, lifestyle factors, meal size, physical activity, marital status, income, Sri Lanka, Colombo
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Humans, Life Style, Male, Middle Aged, Obesity, Residence Characteristics, Risk Factors, Rural Health, Sex Factors, Socioeconomic Factors, Sri Lanka, Urban Health, Body Mass Index
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