Widening Educational Inequalities in Physical Health Due to the Obesity Trend?—A Mediation Analysis Using the German Socio-Economic Panel Study

Abstract

Objectives:This study examined the contribution of obesity to the development of educational inequalities in physical health.Methods:We used data from the German Socio-Economic Panel for the period 2002–2020. Physical health was measured with the modified SF12-questionnaire. Logistic regression analyses were applied to estimate time trends. The Relative Index of Inequality (RII) and the Slope Index of Inequality (SII) were calculated to examine educational inequalities. The role of obesity as a mediator was analyzed using the Karlson-Holm-Breen (KHB) method.Results:Over time, educational inequalities in obesity as well as impaired physical health widened in men and women, particularly among those aged 30–49 years. For individuals with a low level of education at this age, the probability of impaired physical health increased significantly by 7.7%-points in women and 9.4%-points in men. Of this increase, 25.9% for women and 14.8% for men could be attributed to the increase in obesity.Conclusion:Our findings suggest that the steeper rise in obesity among individuals with a low level of education partly explains the observed widening in educational inequalities in physical health.