Changes in socio-economic level and their impact on nutritional status: A follow-up study among young Chilean adults

Abstract

Copyright © The Authors 2018. Objective To verify the association between changes in socio-economic level (SEL) and nutritional status of Chilean adults over a 10-year period.Design Concurrent cohort study.Setting/Subjects Individuals born from 1974 to 1978 in the Valparaíso Region of Chile were evaluated between 2000 and 2002 (n 1232) and again between 2010 and 2012 (n 796). SEL was characterized according to the occupation and educational level of the head of household. Nutritional status was based on measurement of BMI and waist circumference (WC).Results Between the first and second evaluation there was a 13 % reduction in the number of individuals classified as poor and a 12 % increase in those classified in the medium high SEL. Increases in BMI were found among women who remained in the low SEL (β=2·2, 95 % CI 0·16, 2·87) compared with women who maintained the same SEL (and whose SEL was above low over the 10-year period). Women who remained in the low SEL increased their WC (β=4