Relationships between social determinants of health and healthy body composition among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth in the Next Generation: Youth Well-being study

Abstract

Issue Addressed: Little is currently known about the relationships between body composition and the social determinants of health among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth in Australia, which could help inform policy responses to address health inequities. Methods: This study aimed to explore the relationship between various social factors and healthy body mass index (BMI) and waist/height ratio (WHtR) among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth aged 16–24 years. Baseline survey data from 531 participants of the ‘Next Generation: Youth Well-being study’ were used. Robust Poisson regression quantified associations between healthy body composition and self-reported individual social factors (education, employment and income, government income support, food insecurity, home environment, relationship status, racism), family factors (caregiver education and employment) and area-level factors (remoteness, socioeconomic status). Results: Healthy body composition was less common among those living in a crowded home (healthy WHtR aPR 0.67 [0.47–0.96]) and those receiving government income support (healthy BMI aPR 0.74 [0.57–0.95]). It was more common among those with tertiary educated caregivers (healthy BMI aPR 1.84 [1.30–2.61]; healthy WHtR aPR 1.41 [1.05–1.91]) and those in a serious relationship (healthy BMI aPR 1.33 [1.02–1.75]). Conclusions: Social factors at the individual and family level are associated with healthy body composition among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth. So What?: The findings of this study highlight the potential for health benefits for youth from policies and programs that address social inequities experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia.