title: Obesity and its socioeconomic determinants in Iran.
abstract: To investigate the socioeconomic inequality of obesity and its determinants in Iran.
  
  
  
  Data was from Iran's surveillance system for risk factors of non-communicable diseases which was conducted on 89,400 individuals aged 15-64 years in 2005. Principal component analysis was used to create a new variable for defining socioeconomic status of participants. We assessed inequality by calculating a slop index of inequality and concentration index for obesity. Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition analysis was used to determine the determinants of inequality.
  
  
  
  The slop index of inequality and concentration index for obesity was -13.1 (95% Confidence Intervals [CI]: -16.3 to -9.8) percentage points and -0.123, respectively. The level of inequality varied widely between different provinces in Iran and was more severe in women and urban population. Obesity persisted in 20.2% (95% CI: 19.4-20.9) of the low-socioeconomic group and 11.0% (95% CI: 10.5-11.6) of the high-socioeconomic group. More than 90% of this gap was due to differences of independent variables (mainly age, gender and marital status) in two socioeconomic status groups.
  
  
  
  A pro-rich inequality existed in the obesity in Iran. Older age, female gender and rural residency contributed most to the economic inequality of obesity.
authors.affiliation: Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Shahroud University of Medical Sciences, Shahroud, Iran. Electronic address: emamian@shmu.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Mohammad Hassan
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Emamian
authors.affiliation: Center for Health Related Social and Behavioral Sciences Research, Shahroud University of Medical Sciences, Shahroud, Iran.
authors.forename: Mansooreh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fateh
authors.affiliation: Department of Informatics, Evidence and Research, World Health Organization, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Ahmad Reza
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Hosseinpoor
authors.affiliation: Social Determinants of Health Research Center; Department of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Gonabad, Iran.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alami
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Akbar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fotouhi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012923:Social Class; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Health status disparities; Health surveys; Inequality; Iran; Socioeconomic factors