Food and sociological habits: what do Europeans spend their food money on?

In most European countries there is a strong inverse association between the prevalence of obesity and measures of social class (such as education and income). This association is present throughout the lifespan and starts early in life. The causality of this association is not always simple and straightforward. Children with parents in low socioeconomic groups tend to become heavier than those in other groups. This association is partly due to genetic susceptibility as well as shared environments. Young people with obesity, independent of their level of intelligence and schooling, tend to achieve lower levels of completed education, professions and income. This is, as least in part, attributed to stigmatization and discrimination of obese individuals. There seems to be a circular pathway that explains why the inverse association remains and in some countries increases over time.

The analyses of the determinants of the inverse association between socioeconomic status and obesity points towards the importance of physical environmental factors, socio-cultural factors and economic aspects of lifestyle. The physical environment reflects characteristics of the neighbourhood that affect the availability for physical activity and healthy eating patterns. The socio-cultural aspects reflect normative standards for lifestyles and also the acceptability of overweight and obesity. The economic situation in families also affect directly the access to healthy foods and opportunities for physical activity.

Strategies for the prevention of obesity should involve health education but also environmental interventions that support sustainable changes in health related behaviours and will reduce levels of inequity.