General and Abdominal Obesity Is Related to Physical Activity, Smoking and Sleeping Behaviours and Mediated by the Educational Level: Findings from the ANIBES Study in Spain

• Published in: PloS one 2016-12, Vol.11 (12), p.e0169027-e0169027
• Main Authors: López-Sobaler, Ana M, Rodríguez-Rodríguez, Elena, Aranceta-Bartrina, Javier, Gil, Ángel, González-Gross, Marcela, Serra-Majem, Lluis, Varela-Moreiras, Gregorio, Ortega, Rosa M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abdomen; Adolescent; Adult; Adults; Age; Aged; Analysis; Anthropometry; Biology and Life Sciences; Biomedical research; Body mass index; Body measurements; Body weight; Complications and side effects; Demographics; Development and progression; Diabetes; Education; Educational Status; Employment; Energy Metabolism; Exercise; Female; Field study; Habits; Health care; Health sciences; Humans; Hypotheses; Income; Life Style; Male; Medicine and Health Sciences; Metabolism; Middle Aged; Nutrition research; Obesity; Obesity, Abdominal - epidemiology; Obesity, Abdominal - metabolism; Obesity, Abdominal - physiopathology; Overweight; People and Places; Pharmacy; Physical activity; Physiological aspects; Population number; Preventive medicine; Public health; Risk; Risk factors; Sleep; Smoking; Smoking - adverse effects; Social Sciences; Socioeconomic factors; Spain - epidemiology; Systematic review; Television; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0169027

The aim of the present study was to analyze the association of socioeconomic (SES) and lifestyle factors, with the conditions of overweight (OW), general (OB) and abdominal obesity (AO) in Spanish adults. A representative sample of 1655 Spanish adults (18 to 65 years) from the ANIBES Study was investigated. Collected data included measured anthropometry (weight, height and waist circumference), demographic and SES data (region and habitant population size, educational level, family income, unemployment rate), physical activity (PA) and other lifestyle factors (sleeping time and frequency of viewing television). OW, OB and AO were determined in each participant. Being male, older than 40 years, and watching television more frequently were associated with higher risk of OB and AO, whereas those with a higher level of education, smokers, and more time in sleeping and in vigorous PA, but not in moderate-vigorous PA, were associated with a lower risk. Living in the Atlantic region and stating no answer to the question regarding family income were also associated with lower risk of AO. Strategies for preventing and reducing OB and AO should consider improving sleeping habits and PA. They should also pay more attention to the most vulnerable groups such as those less educated.