Changes in the influence of socio-economic status on obesity among aging Canadian baby boomers.

A trend analysis was conducted on the influence of socio-economic (SES) status on obesity levels in Canadian baby boomers over time. Two, large scale national studies conducted 10 years apart were analyzed. Riley’s Social Change Model was used to frame how the influence of SES on obesity will converge over time due to social changes to food production and eating habits coupled with reliance on modern technology. Partial support was found for convergence of SES and obesity associations over time, including interesting differences by sex. Findings from 1994 data indicate that measures of SES decreased the odds of obesity among males, while working status increased the odds of obesity for females. In 2004, associations for males show that measures of income were positively associated with obesity, while post-secondary graduation showed an opposite association. In 2004, associations for females show an inverse association between measures of education and obesity.