Abstract
Objectives
Large disparities exist between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians in both obesity and socio-economic status (SES). The purpose of this paper was to assess associations between obesity and three indicators of SES–employment, education and income–in conjunction with demographic and lifestyle factors.
Methods
Using the nationally-representative Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) cycle 2.2 (2004), among 334 off-reserve Aboriginal and 6,259 non-Aboriginal Canadians aged 25–64 years in the 10 provinces, obesity status was determined by body mass index derived from measured height and weight. Logistic regression was used to assess the relationships between socio-demographic variables and obesity status.
Results
Controlling for other socio-economic and lifestyle factors, odds for obesity were lower by 80% among Aboriginal men and 64% among Aboriginal women who were employed during the 12 months prior to the survey compared to Aboriginal men and women who were not employed. Employment was not significantly associated with obesity among non-Aboriginal adults. Probability for obesity increased as household income increased among Aboriginal men, but a negative association between income and obesity was observed among Aboriginal women. These associations persisted after adjustment for physical activity level, fruit and vegetable consumption, smoking, and marital status in the models.
Conclusion
Unemployment among obese Aboriginal Canadians warrants attention. The knowledge that both high and low SES Aboriginal Canadians, of varying socio-demographic characteristics and lifestyle, experience high rates of obesity can lead to new hypotheses of how obesity develops in this population and influence how interventions are planned.
Key words: Indigenous population, obesity, socio-economic factors, lifestyle, employment
Résumé
Objectifs
De grandes disparités existent entre les Canadiens autochtones et non autochtones pour ce qui est de l’obésité et du statut socioéconomique (SSE). Le but de cette étude était d’évaluer les associations entre l’obésité et trois indicateurs du SSE–l’emploi, la scolarité et le revenu–en conjonction avec des facteurs démographiques et liés au mode de vie.
Méthode
À l’aide des données représentatives de l’Enquête sur la santé dans les collectivités canadiennes (ESCC), cycle 2.2 (2004), nous avons déterminé le statut d’obésité de 334 Canadiens autochtones vivant horsréserve et de 6 259 Canadiens non autochtones, âgés de 25 à 64 ans et vivant dans les 10 provinces, selon leur indice de masse corporelle calculé par la mesure de la taille et du poids. Par régression logistique, nous avons évalué les relations entre les variables sociodémographiques et l’obésité.
Résultats
Après avoir apporté des ajustements pour tenir compte d’autres facteurs socioéconomiques et du mode de vie, la probabilité de l’obésité était inférieure de 80 % chez les hommes autochtones et de 64 % chez les femmes autochtones ayant travaillé au cours des 12 mois précédant l’enquête. L’emploi n’était pas significativement associé à l’obésité chez les adultes non autochtones. La probabilité de l’obésité augmentait avec le revenu du ménage chez les hommes autochtones, mais une association négative entre le revenu et l’obésité a été observée chez les femmes autochtones. Ces associations ont persisté après l’apport d’ajustements pour tenir compte du niveau d’activité physique, de la consommation de fruits et légumes, de l’usage du tabac et de l’état matrimonial dans les modèles.
Conclusion
Le taux de chômage chez les Canadiens autochtones obèses mérite qu’on s’y intéresse. Le fait de savoir que les Canadiens autochtones ont des taux élevés d’obésité, qu’ils soient de SSE faible ou élevé et peu importe leurs caractéristiques sociodémographiques et leur mode de vie, peut conduire à de nouvelles hypothèses sur la façon dont l’obésité se développe dans cette population et influencer la planification des interventions.
Mots clés: Indiens d’Amérique Nord, obésité, facteurs socioéconomiques, mode de vie, employ
Footnotes
Acknowledgements: Ms. Ng was supported by a doctoral research award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research–Institute of Population and Public Health and the Canadian Diabetes Association. We thank Prof. Valerie Tarasuk for reviewing an earlier draft of this manuscript.
Disclaimer: While the research and analysis are based on data from Statistics Canada, the opinions expressed do not represent the views of Statistics Canada.
Conflict of Interest: None to declare.
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