Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The STEP trials

A round-up of the STEP phase 3 clinical trials evaluating semaglutide for weight loss in people with overweight or obesity.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
International Journal for Equity in Health
Published in: International Journal for Equity in Health 1/2016

Open Access 01-12-2016 | Research

Decomposing socio-economic inequalities in leisure-time physical inactivity: the case of Spanish children

Authors: Eduardo Gonzalo-Almorox, Rosa M. Urbanos-Garrido

Published in: International Journal for Equity in Health | Issue 1/2016

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

Physical inactivity is associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality and entails a substantial economic burden for health systems. Also, the analysis of inequality in lifestyles for young populations may contribute to reduce health inequalities during adulthood. This paper examines the income-related inequality regarding leisure-time physical inactivity in Spanish children.

Methods

In this cross-sectional study based on the Spanish National Health Survey for 2011-12, concentration indices are estimated to measure socioeconomic inequalities in leisure-time physical inactivity. A decomposition analysis is performed to determine the factors that explain income-related inequalities.

Results

There is a significant socioeconomic gradient favouring the better-off associated with leisure-time physical inactivity amongst Spanish children, which is more pronounced in the case of girls. Income shows the highest contribution to total inequality, followed by education of the head of the household. The contribution of several factors (education, place of residence, age) significantly differs by gender.

Conclusions

There is an important inequity in the distribution of leisure-time physical inactivity. Public policies aimed at promoting physical activity for children should prioritize the action into the most disadvantaged subgroups of the population. As the influence of determinants of health styles significantly differ by gender, this study points out the need of addressing the research on income-related inequalities in health habits from a gender perspective.
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Literature
1.
2.
Sari N. Physical inactivity and its impact on healthcare utilization. Health Econ. 2009;18(8):885–901.CrossRefPubMed
3.
Katzmarzyk PT, Janssen I. The economic costs associated with physical inactivity and obesity in Canada: an update. Can J Appl Physiol. 2004;29:90–115.CrossRefPubMed
4.
Humphreys BR, McLeod L, Ruseski JE. Physical activity and health outcomes: evidence from Canada. Health Econ. 2014;23(1):33–54.CrossRefPubMed
5.
6.
7.
Brown H, Roberts J. Exercising choice: the economic determinants of physical activity behaviour of an employed population. Soc Sci Med. 2011;73(3):383–90.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
8.
Giles-Corti B, Donovan RJ. Socioeconomic status differences in recreational physical activity levels and real and perceived access to a supportive physical environment. Prev Med. 2002;35(6):601–11.CrossRefPubMed
9.
Farrell L, Hollingsworth B, Propper C, Shields MA. The socioeconomic gradient in physical inactivity: evidence from one million adults in England. Soc Sci Med. 2014;123:55–63.CrossRefPubMed
10.
Maestre-Miquel C, Regidor E, Cuthill F, Martínez D. Desigualdad en la prevalencia de sedentarismo durante el tiempo libre en población adulta española según su nivel de educación. Diferencias entre 2002 y 2012. Rev Esp Salud Publ. 2015;89:259–69.CrossRef
11.
Van Der Horst K, Paw MJ, Twisk JW, Van Mechelen W. A brief review of correlates of physical activity and sedentariness in youth. Med Sci Sport Exer. 2007;39(8):1241–50.CrossRef
12.
McVeigh JA, Norris SA, de Wet T. The relationship between socio‐economic status and physical activity patterns in South African children. Acta Paediatr. 2004;93(7):982–8.CrossRefPubMed
13.
Ferreira I, van der Horst K, Wendel‐Vos W, Kremers S, van Lenthe FJ, Brug J. Environmental correlates of physical activity in youth – a review and update. Obes Rev. 2007;8(2):129–54.CrossRefPubMed
14.
Kantomaa MT, Tammelin TH, Näyhä S, Taanila AM. Adolescents’ physical activity in relation to family income and parents’ education. Prev Med. 2007;44(5):410–5.CrossRefPubMed
15.
Drenowatz C, Eisenmann JC, Pfeiffer KA, Welk G, Heelan K, Gentile D, et al. Influence of socio-economic status on habitual physical activity and sedentary behavior in 8- to 11-year old children. BMC Public Health. 2010;10:214.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
16.
Rey-López JP, Tomas C, Vicente-Rodriguez G, Gracia-Marco L, Jiménez-Pavón D, Pérez-Llamas F, et al. Sedentary behaviours and socio-economic status in Spanish adolescents: the AVENA study. Eur J Public Health. 2011;21(2):151–7.CrossRefPubMed
17.
Wagstaff A, van Doorslaer E, Watanabe N. On decomposing the causes of health sector inequalities with an application to malnutrition inequalities in Vietnam. J Econometrics. 2003;112(1):207–23.CrossRef
18.
Telama R, Yang X, Viikari J, Välimäki I, Wanne O, Raitakari O. Physical activity from childhood to adulthood: a 21-year tracking study. Am J Prev Med. 2005;28(3):267–73.CrossRefPubMed
19.
Yang X, Telama R, Hirvensalo M, Tammelin T, Viikari JS, Raitakari OT. Active commuting from youth to adulthood and as a predictor of physical activity in early midlife: the young Finns study. Prev Med. 2014;59:5–11.CrossRefPubMed
20.
Sallis JF, Prochaska JJ, Taylor WC. A review of correlates of physical activity of children and adolescents. Med Sci Sport Exer. 2000;32(5):963–75.CrossRef
21.
Grieser M, Vu MB, Bedimo-Rung AL, Neumark-Sztainer D, Moody J, Young DR, Moe SG.. Physical activity attitudes, preferences, and practices in African American, Hispanic, and Caucasian girls. Health Educ Behav. 2006;33(1):40–51.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
22.
Costa-i-Font J, Gil J. What lies behind socio-economic inequalities in obesity in Spain: a decomposition approach. Food Policy. 2008;33(1):61–73.CrossRef
23.
24.
Kakwani N. On a class of poverty measures. Econometrica. 1980;48(2):437–46.CrossRef
25.
Wagstaff A, Paci P, van Doorslaer E. On the measurement of inequalities in health. Soc Sci Med. 1991;33(5):545–57.CrossRefPubMed
26.
Wagstaff A. The bounds of the concentration index when the variable of interest is binary, with an application to immunization inequality. Health Econ. 2005;14:429–32.CrossRefPubMed
27.
28.
O’Donnell O, van Doorslaer E, Wagstaff A, Lindelow M. Analyzing health equity using household survey data. A guide to techniques and their implementation, WBI Learning Resources Series. Washington: The World Bank; 2008.
29.
Gravelle H. Measuring income related inequality in health: standardisation and the partial concentration index. Health Econ. 2003;12(10):803–19.CrossRefPubMed
30.
van de Poel E, van Doorslaer E, O’Donnell O. Measurement of inequity in health care with heterogeneous response of use to need. J Health Ec. 2012;31:676–89.CrossRef
31.
32.
Singh GK, Stella MY, Siahpush M, Kogan MD. High levels of physical inactivity and sedentary behaviors among US immigrant children and adolescents. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2008;162(8):756–63.CrossRefPubMed
33.
Brewer M, Kimbro RT. Neighborhood context and immigrant children’s physical activity. Soc Sci Med. 2014;116:1–9.CrossRefPubMed
34.
35.
Ekelund U, Ward HA, Norat T, Luan J, May AM, Weiderpass E, et al. Physical activity and all-cause mortality across levels of overall and abdominal adiposity in European men and women: the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition Study (EPIC). Am J Clin Nutr. 2015; doi:10.​3945/​ajcn.​114.​100065.
36.
Kjellsson G, Gerdtham UG. On correcting the concentration index. J Health Ec. 2013;32:659–70.CrossRef
37.
Wagstaff A. Correcting the concentration index: a comment. J Health Ec. 2009;28:516–20.CrossRef
38.
39.
Erreygers G, van Ourti T. Putting the cart before the horse. A comment on Wagstaff on inequality measurement in the presence of binary variables. Health Econ. 2011;20:1161–5.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
40.
Wagstaff A. Reply to Guido Erreygers and Tom van Ourti’s comment on ‘The concentration index of a binary outcome revisited’. Health Econ. 2011;20:1166–8.CrossRefPubMed
41.
Metadata
Title
Decomposing socio-economic inequalities in leisure-time physical inactivity: the case of Spanish children
Authors
Eduardo Gonzalo-Almorox
Rosa M. Urbanos-Garrido
Publication date
01-12-2016
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
International Journal for Equity in Health / Issue 1/2016
Electronic ISSN: 1475-9276
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-016-0394-9

Other articles of this Issue 1/2016

International Journal for Equity in Health 1/2016 Go to the issue

Research

New cooperative medical scheme decreased financial burden but expanded the gap of income-related inequity: evidence from three provinces in rural China

Research

Financial access to health care for older people in Cambodia: 10-year trends (2004-14) and determinants of catastrophic health expenses

Research

Improving health related quality of life among rural hypertensive patients through the integrative strategy of health services delivery: a quasi-experimental trial from Chongqing, China

Research

The impact of the Great Recession on mental health and its inequalities: the case of a Southern European region, 1997–2013

Research

Inequalities in healthy life expectancy by Brazilian geographic regions: findings from the National Health Survey, 2013

Research

Is it getting better? An analytical method to test trends in health disparities, with tobacco use among sexual minority vs. heterosexual youth as an example