The interrelationships of education, income, lifestyle factors, and adiposity in the Ontario Food Survey

Socio-economic status (SES) has been inversely associated with overweight and obesity in the literature. The contribution of lifestyle factors (diet and leisure-time physical activity) to this association is unclear. Drawing on the 1997/98 Ontario Food Survey, a comprehensive examination of the interrelationships among adiposity, education, income, and lifestyle factors among 620 women and 467 men was undertaken. Data were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression, analysis of variance, and structural equation modeling. Neither income nor education was associated with overweight for men or women, despite some education- and income-based variation in LTPA and fruit and vegetable intake. Among men, obesity was not associated with income or education. Among women, income and education were inversely associated with obesity, and this association was partially mediated by the intake of fruits and vegetables. These results suggest that the differences between the sexes and adiposity groups may have implications for programs and policies designed to address obesity in Canada.