Socioeconomic Vulnerability Index and Obesity among Korean Adults

Examining the socioeconomic vulnerability–obesity relationship is a different approach than comparing obesity rates according to the socioeconomic level. This study explored the socioeconomic vulnerability–obesity relationship among Korean adults. This secondary analysis used data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which were collected nationwide from participants aged 30–64 years. Seven socioeconomic indicators (education level, residential area, personal income level, household income level, food insecurity, house ownership, and national basic livelihood security beneficiary status) were used to create the socioeconomic vulnerability index. The prevalence of obesity was higher in the lowest socioeconomic vulnerability index quartile than in the highest socioeconomic vulnerability index quartile (odds ratio = 1.31; 95% confidence interval = 1.13–1.52) after adjusting for gender. When developing future interventions for the prevention and management of obesity, health care providers and researchers need to consider the differences in socioeconomic vulnerability index in adults.