Association of socioeconomic status with BMI differs by sex and position on BMI distribution among participants in the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey (CLHNS)
Authors' conclusion
Associations of SES-related variables with BMI vary along BMI distribution and differ among male and female young adults in Cebu, Philippines. Males exhibit a pattern more characteristic of lower- or middle-income country (LMIC) settings than females, whose trends are more akin to those observed in high-income countries (HICs). Results will inform a more detailed inquiry into more proximal factors determining BMI.
Study context
- Population
- Young adults (ages 21–35 years) in a dynamic urbanising area in the Philippines, Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey rounds 2002, 2005, 2009 and 20182,002 n = 1940
- Outcome
- BMI
Methodological detailsquantile regression, sex-stratified
- Quantile regression
- Sex-stratified
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Associations of socioeconomic status (SES)-related variables with BMI across BMI quantiles, by sex
- Household asset index highly correlated with male BMI; coefficient increasing from 2005 to 2018 and differing between quantiles
- Household asset index positively associated with female BMI only among parous women at 0.50 and 0.75 quantiles in 2005
- No associations between urbanicity and BMI in males
- Urbanicity in females in 2018: negative association at 0.25 quantile, positive at 0.75 quantile
- College education negatively associated with BMI in females, larger effect at 0.75 quantile
- College education positively associated with BMI in males at 0.25 and 0.50 quantiles in 2018
- Models adjusted for employment status and parity in females
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Original publication
Association of socioeconomic status with BMI differs by sex and position on BMI distribution among participants in the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey (CLHNS). Int J Obes (Lond). Published 14 July 2025. doi:10.
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