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Jane Wardle, PhD, Jo Waller, MSc and Martin J. Jarvis, DSc

The authors are with the Cancer Research UK Health Behavior Unit, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, England.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Jane Wardle, PhD, Cancer Research UK Health Behavior Unit, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, UCL, 2-16 Torrington Pl, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom (e-mail: j.wardle{at}ucl.ac.uk).

Objectives. This study investigated socioeconomic predictors of obesity in men and women.

Methods. Data from the 1996 Health Survey for England were used to compare odds ratios for obesity by education, occupation, and 2 economic markers after control for age, marital status, and ethnicity.

Results. Obesity risk was greater among men and women with fewer years of education and poorer economic circumstances and among women, but not men, of lower occupational status.

Conclusions. Higher educational attainment and higher socioeconomic status were associated with a lower risk of obesity in both men and women, whereas higher occupational status was associated with a lower risk only for women. The implications of these findings for understanding causes and prevention of obesity are discussed.

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