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Does psychosocial stress explain socioeconomic inequities in 9-year weight gain among young women?

Does psychosocial stress explain socioeconomic inequities in 9-year weight gain among young women?
Does psychosocial stress explain socioeconomic inequities in 9-year weight gain among young women?

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the contribution of psychosocial stress to mediating inequities in weight gain by educational status in a large cohort of young Australian women over a 9-year follow-up.

METHODS: This observational cohort study used survey data drawn from 4,806 women, aged 22 to 27 years at baseline (2000), participating in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health, who reported their education level (2000), perceived stress (2003), and weight (2003 and 2012). Using a causal inference framework based on counterfactuals for mediation analysis, we fitted linear or logistic regression models to examine the total effect, decomposed into natural direct and indirect effects via perceived stress, of education level (highest qualification completed: up to year 12/trade or diploma vs. university) on weight change.

RESULTS: Women with lower education gained more weight over 9 years (6.1 kg, standard deviation [SD] 9.5) than women with higher education (3.8 kg, SD 7.7; P < 0.0001) and were more likely to be very or extremely stressed. The higher weight gain associated with low education was not mediated through perceived stress (per SD increase, percent mediated: 1.0%).

CONCLUSIONS: Education-based inequities in weight gain over time were not attributable to greater psychosocial stress among women with lower education levels.

Adult, Body Weight, Cohort Studies, Female, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Socioeconomic Factors, Stress, Psychological/complications, Time Factors, Weight Gain/physiology, Young Adult
1930-7381
1109-1114
Ball, Kylie
fda275b8-c7ae-43f2-ab38-d1b487cbe671
Schoenaker, Danielle A.J.M.
84b96b87-4070-45a5-9777-5a1e4e45e818
Mishra, Gita D.
02143b82-e536-4915-9b30-3c86cbe1a1fe
Ball, Kylie
fda275b8-c7ae-43f2-ab38-d1b487cbe671
Schoenaker, Danielle A.J.M.
84b96b87-4070-45a5-9777-5a1e4e45e818
Mishra, Gita D.
02143b82-e536-4915-9b30-3c86cbe1a1fe

Ball, Kylie, Schoenaker, Danielle A.J.M. and Mishra, Gita D. (2017) Does psychosocial stress explain socioeconomic inequities in 9-year weight gain among young women? Obesity, 25 (6), 1109-1114. (doi:10.1002/oby.21830).

Record type: Article

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the contribution of psychosocial stress to mediating inequities in weight gain by educational status in a large cohort of young Australian women over a 9-year follow-up.

METHODS: This observational cohort study used survey data drawn from 4,806 women, aged 22 to 27 years at baseline (2000), participating in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health, who reported their education level (2000), perceived stress (2003), and weight (2003 and 2012). Using a causal inference framework based on counterfactuals for mediation analysis, we fitted linear or logistic regression models to examine the total effect, decomposed into natural direct and indirect effects via perceived stress, of education level (highest qualification completed: up to year 12/trade or diploma vs. university) on weight change.

RESULTS: Women with lower education gained more weight over 9 years (6.1 kg, standard deviation [SD] 9.5) than women with higher education (3.8 kg, SD 7.7; P < 0.0001) and were more likely to be very or extremely stressed. The higher weight gain associated with low education was not mediated through perceived stress (per SD increase, percent mediated: 1.0%).

CONCLUSIONS: Education-based inequities in weight gain over time were not attributable to greater psychosocial stress among women with lower education levels.

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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 3 March 2017
e-pub ahead of print date: 28 April 2017
Published date: June 2017
Keywords: Adult, Body Weight, Cohort Studies, Female, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Socioeconomic Factors, Stress, Psychological/complications, Time Factors, Weight Gain/physiology, Young Adult

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 441191
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/441191
ISSN: 1930-7381
PURE UUID: eb06cc80-6552-4ffe-b1c0-53dfc95c11e2
ORCID for Danielle A.J.M. Schoenaker: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-7652-990X

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Date deposited: 04 Jun 2020 16:31
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 04:01

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Contributors

Author: Kylie Ball
Author: Gita D. Mishra

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