Socioeconomic inequalities in children's health‐related quality of life according to weight status

• Published in: American journal of human biology Vol. 33; no. 1; pp. e23453 - n/a
• Main Authors: Costa, Diogo, Cunha, Marina, Ferreira, Cláudia, Gama, Augusta, Machado‐Rodrigues, Aristides M., Rosado‐Marques, Vítor, Mendes, Larissa L., Nogueira, Helena, Pessoa, Milene, Silva, Maria Raquel, Velasquez‐Melendez, Gustavo, Padez, Cristina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken, USA Wiley 01.01.2021; John Wiley & Sons, Inc; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Age; Body mass; Body mass index; Body size; Body weight; Children; Children & youth; Childrens health; Education; Indicators; Obesity; Overweight; Quality of life; Regression analysis; Regression models; Socioeconomic factors; Socioeconomics
• ISSN: 1042-0533; 1520-6300
• DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23453

Objectives: This study explores the association between socioeconomic position (SEP) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among Portuguese children according to their weight status. Methods: A total of 1215 primary school-aged children (mean age 8.78 years) from three Portuguese districts (Lisbon, Porto, Coimbra) were assessed during 2016/2017. Father and mother's education (low, medium, high) and work status (employed, unemployed/retired) were used as SEP indicators. Self-reported HRQoL was assessed with the KIDSCREEN-27. Height and weight were objectively measured and body mass index categorized in normal, overweight or obese. Age, sex, and district-adjusted linear regression models were fitted to estimate associations between SEP indicators and HRQoL dimensions, according to weight status. Results: We found that 24.9% of children were categorized as having overweight/obesity. The mean scores of the Physical Well-Being, and School Environment dimensions of HRQoL were lower among children classified with overweight/obesity compared to children with normal weight (57.21 vs 54.11, P < .001 and 57.85 vs 56.04, P = .010, respectively). Father's education was significantly associated with all HRQoL dimensions in children with a normal weight, but the same was not observed among children presenting overweight/ obesity. An increase in the level of maternal education was also significantly associated with all HRQoL dimensions among children classified with a normal weight, and only for the School Environment dimension among children classified with overweight/obesity. Conclusions: These results suggest the presence of socioeconomic inequalities in self-reported HRQoL from early age, particularly among children with normal weight.