The preventive efforts of the Spanish autonomous regions and socio-economic inequality in childhood obesity or overweight

Abstract

Objective: To explore trends in childhood overweight/obesity according to socio-economic status and in relation to the preventive effort developed by the Spanish autonomous regions. Method: A series of multilevel cross-sectional studies were conducted using data from different waves of the Spanish National Health Survey, namely 2003, 2006, 2011 and 2017. Hierarchical logistic regression models were estimated, with individuals (level 1) nested within the region–period of study (level 2) and these, in turn, within the region (level 3). The main independent variables were the average effort made by the Spanish autonomous regions in child overweight–obesity prevention policies and the change in the effort made in these policies over the periods studied. Results: The likelihood of obesity and/or overweight increases substantially if the adult respondent in the household is also obese or overweight. The joint effect of the policies implemented by the autonomous regions is associated with a significant decrease in prevalence only for children belonging to high and middle social classes (odds ratio [OR]: 0.89, 95% confidence interval [95%CI]: 0.82–0.96, and OR: 0.93, 95%CI: 0.88–0.97, respectively). Conclusions: The policies implemented by the Spanish autonomous regions seem to have a limited capacity to achieve significant reductions in the prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity. The results suggest that it is the middle and upper-middle class groups that seem to benefit most from these policies, which could indirectly contribute to increasing inequalities in childhood obesity.