Socioeconomic Status and Adiposity in Childhood: A Systematic Review of Cross‐sectional Studies 1990–2005

Sobal and Stunkard's review (1989) of 34 studies from developed countries published after 1941, found inconsistent relationships between socioeconomic status (SES) and childhood adiposity. Inverse associations (36%), no associations (38%), and positive associations (26%) were found in similar proportions. In view of the trends in pediatric obesity, the relationship between SES and adiposity may have changed.

To describe the cross-sectional association between SES and adiposity in school-age children from western developed countries in epidemiological studies since 1989. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: PubMed database was searched to identify potentially relevant publications. Epidemiological studies from western developed countries presenting cross-sectional data on the bivariate association between an SES indicator and objectively measured adiposity in childhood (5-18 years), carried out after 1989 were included. SES indicators included parental education, parental occupation, family income, composite SES, and neighborhood SES.