ArticleGlobal health action2010
The obesity epidemic slows among the middle-aged population in Sweden while the socioeconomic gap widens.
Article in Global health action, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 31 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
31 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 60 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Temporal shifts in cardiovascular risk factor distribution.American journal of preventive medicine · 2014Trial
- Long-Term Obesity Trends in Northern Sweden: Cross-Sectional Data From the MONICA Study (1986-2022).Obesity science & practice · 2026Article
- U.S. weight trends: a longitudinal analysis of an NIH-partnered dataset.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2025Article
- Temporal trends and educational inequalities in obesity, overweight and underweight in pre-pregnant women and their male partners: a decade (2010-2019) with no progress in Sweden.European journal of public health · 2024Article
- Associations of dietary choline and betaine with all-cause mortality: a prospective study in a large Swedish cohort.European journal of nutrition · 2024Article
- Article
- Impact of achievement and change in achievement of lifestyle recommendations in middle-age on risk of the most common potentially preventable cancers.Preventive medicine · 2021Article
- Social inequalities and trends in pre-pregnancy body mass index in Swedish women.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Desire to lose weight and need of weight loss support in the adult population-Results from a cross-sectional study in Sweden.Obesity science & practice · 2020Article
- From carbohydrates to fat: Trends in food intake among Swedish nutrition students from 2002 to 2017.PloS one · 2020Article
- Sociodemographic and Lifestyle Factors in relation to Overweight Defined by BMI and "Normal-Weight Obesity".Journal of obesity · 2020Article
- Flawed conclusions on the Västerbotten Intervention Program by San Sebastian et .al.BMC public health · 2019Article
- Do cardiovascular disease prevention programs in northern Sweden impact on population health? An interrupted time series analysis.BMC public health · 2019Article
- Decomposition of gendered income-related inequalities in multiple biological cardiovascular risk factors in a middle-aged population.International journal for equity in health · 2018Article
- Article
- The rate of joint replacement in osteoarthritis depends on the patient's socioeconomic status.Acta orthopaedica · 2016Article
- Observational
- Comparisons of weight change, eating habits and physical activity between women in Northern Sweden and Rural New York State- results from a longitudinal study.Nutrition journal · 2015Article
- Article
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4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundObesity prevalence has continuously increased in Northern Sweden as elsewhere. A cohort effect has been shown and an increasing proportion of the middle-aged population is maintaining body weight.
objectiveTo test the hypothesis that the obesity epidemic continues but at different speeds that are dependent on socioeconomic status.
designCross-sectional (103,940 adults) and longitudinal (26,872 adults) data from the Västerbotten Intervention Program 1990-2007 were included. All adults in Västerbotten County are invited to a health examination at the ages of 40, 50, and 60 years. Body mass index (BMI) and socioeconomic status, assessed by residence location, marital status, and education were evaluated.
resultsBMI increased in all groups but was greater among men. During 1990-1995 and 2002-2007, mean BMIs were 25.9 and 26.8 among men and 25.2 and 25.9 among women. The trend of increasing BMI slowed around the year 2000 (p<0.001), but this was only observed among the highly educated adults in the most urbanized area. The difference between educational groups increased throughout the study period (men p=0.014, women p=0.002). Longitudinal data for both sexes showed a twofold higher baseline prevalence of obesity among individuals with basic compared to high education and it nearly doubled in all groups during the 10-year follow-up. Low education, living in a rural environment, and living alone were independent predictors of obesity development. The overall cumulative 10-year incidence was 9.4% in men, 9.1% in women, and twofold higher among those with basic and mid-level education who live in rural areas compared to those with high education who live in cities.
conclusionThe trend of increasing obesity has slowed in this middle-aged Northern Sweden population, but this trend shift occurred primarily among those with high education who live in an urban environment. Greater efforts to combat obesogenic environments are needed and should take socioeconomic and sociocultural aspects into account.
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