title: Lower socioeconomic status, adiposity and negative health behaviours in youth: a cross-sectional observational study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Understanding obesity and its modifiable risk factors in youth is key to addressing the burden of cardiovascular disease later in life. Our aim was to examine the associations among adiposity, negative health behaviours and socioeconomic status in youth from the Niagara Region.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional observational study of 3467 grade 9 students during their mandatory health and physical education class to investigate the association between socioeconomic status (postal code), self-reported health behaviour and adiposity in the Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median household income was $63,696 and overall percentage below the after-tax low-income cut-off was 4.2%. Negative health behaviours (especially skipped meals, lower fruit and vegetable consumption, higher screen time) were associated with lower income neighbourhoods, however, the absolute effect was small. Those participants in the lowest income quintile had a significantly greater body mass index z-score than those in the highest (0.72±1.19 vs 0.53±1.12), but the overall trend across quintiles was not statistically significant. A similar trend was noted for waist-to-height ratio. The lowest income neighbourhoods according to after-tax low-income cut-off had small but statistically significant associations with higher adiposity compared with the middle or highest income neighbourhoods.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Obesity prevention efforts should target modifiable behaviours, with particular attention to adolescents from lower income families and neighbourhoods.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Labatt Family Heart Centre, University of Toronto, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lord
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Labatt Family Heart Centre, University of Toronto, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: Cedric
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Manlhiot
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Labatt Family Heart Centre, University of Toronto, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: Pascal N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Tyrrell
authors.affiliation: Heart Niagara Inc, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Stafford
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dobbin
authors.affiliation: Heart Niagara Inc, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Don
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gibson
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Labatt Family Heart Centre, University of Toronto, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: Nita
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Chahal
authors.affiliation: Heart Niagara Inc, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Stearne
authors.affiliation: Heart Niagara Inc, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Labatt Family Heart Centre, University of Toronto, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: Brian W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: McCrindle
mesh_terms: D050154:Adiposity; D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000209:etiology*; D009864:Ontario; D011203:Poverty; D012307:Risk Factors; D012923:Social Class
keywords: NUTRITION & DIETETICS