title: Links between childhood and adult social circumstances and obesity and hypertension in the Mexican population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study examines links between early life circumstances and adult socioeconomic status and obesity and hypertension in the adult Mexican population.
  
  
  METHODS
  We use data from the Mexican Family Life Survey (MxFLS) collected in 2002 for people aged 20 or older (N = 14,280).
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that men with low education and women with more education have significantly lower obesity. Women with higher education also have significantly less hypertension. Obesity triples the likelihood of hypertension among both men and women. Better childhood experiences are associated with less hypertension among women, but more hypertension among men in rural areas.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Recent changes in income, nutrition, and infection in Mexico may be responsible for the observed high prevalence of overweight and obesity and the extremely high odds of hypertension among obese young adults.
authors.affiliation: Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center, University of Southern California, 3715 McClintock Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0191, USA. beltrans@usc.edu
authors.forename: Hiram
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Beltrán-Sánchez
authors.forename: Eileen M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Crimmins
authors.forename: Graciela M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Teruel
authors.forename: Duncan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Thomas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012923:Social Class; D055815:Young Adult