title: Socio-economic life course and obesity among adults in Florianopolis, southern Brazil.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the association between socio-economic life course and body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and general and abdominal obesity in adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional analysis of a population-based cohort study of 1,222 adults (aged 22-63) from Florianopolis, southern Brazil. The socio-economic life course was analysed using the educational level of participants and their parents. Height, weight and WC were measured by specially trained staff. Linear and logistic regressions were used with adjustment for confounding factors, and data were stratified according to sex.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean BMI and WC were about 2kg/m2(95% CI: -3.3 to -0.7) and 6cm (95% CI: -9.7 to -2.9) lower in women with a high socio-economic position, while the association was reversed in men with a high socio-economic position, with WC being about 4cm higher (95% CI: 0.1 to 7.5). In addition, women who had always been in a high socio-economic position were less likely to have abdominal obesity (OR: 0.38; 95% CI: 0.20 to 0.76) while no such association was found in men.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Socio-economic life course influences BMI, WC and obesity, with differences between males and females, thereby indicating that public policies that contemplate a socio-economic life course approach can be effective for controlling obesity.
authors.affiliation: Post-Graduate Program in Public Health, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianopolis, Brazil. Electronic address: katia.wagner@ufsc.br.
authors.forename: Katia Jakovljevic Pudla
authors.initials: KJP
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.affiliation: Post-Graduate Program in Public Health, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianopolis, Brazil.
authors.forename: João Luiz
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Bastos
authors.affiliation: Unit of Biostatistics, Faculty of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Navarro
authors.affiliation: Post-Graduate Program in Public Health, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianopolis, Brazil.
authors.forename: Antonio Fernando
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Boing
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055105:Waist Circumference; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Adultos; Adults; Cross-sectional study; Estudio transversal; Factores socioeconómicos; Obesidad; Obesity; Socio-economic factors; Socio-economic life course; Trayectoria socioeconómica