Background and objectives:

a number of environmental determinants influence children growth and development and influence the potential expression or its evolution over time. In this paper we analyse the influence of selected sociodemographic factors on overweight, body weight and height in the Spanish adult population.

Methods:

the analysis was conducted in a subsample (25 to 64 years of age) of the ENPE study, a cross-sectional observational study on a random population sample. Information was collected on age, gender, educational level, occupation and place of residence. Social class was coded according to occupation. Individual body weight and height were measured.

Results:

the prevalence of obesity is higher in men, increases with age and there is an inverse relationship with the level of education and social class. Higher prevalence rates were observed in Asturias, Galicia and in Andalusia. Short stature is more frequent in people with incomplete primary education and low social class, in contrast to high stature, which is also more frequent in the North-East and central regions. Low body weight is less frequent in people with very poor education and low social class.

Conclusions:

based on the unequal distribution of overweight and obesity, preventive strategies in Community Nutrition should consider improving the level of nutrition education and literacy of the population, with special emphasis on the most disadvantaged people.

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