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A brand new examine led by Distinguished Professor Luisa N. Borrell discovered important inequities in physique mass index (BMI) amongst adults in Spain, pushed by age, intercourse, immigration standing, and schooling.
The analysis, which used information from the 2014 and 2020 European Well being Interview Surveys and the 2017 Spanish Nationwide Well being Survey, revealed that older adults, immigrants, and folks with decrease instructional attainment usually had increased BMI, whereas ladies confirmed decrease averages.
Whereas most inequities have been defined by age, intercourse, immigration standing, and schooling, there have been interplay results amongst these components with some teams with BMI means departing from the expected by the primary results. The latter highlights the necessity for common public well being interventions with a proportionate concentrating on to teams with social identities related to excessive BMI, i.e., immigrant ladies—particularly these aged 55–64 with center or excessive schooling.
Dr. Borrell and her workforce used an intersectional framework with multilevel analyses and centered on how social identities intersect to have an effect on BMI. Age, intercourse, immigration standing, and schooling defined nearly all of BMI variations, with interplay results explaining inequities for sure teams—together with immigrant ladies—whose BMI exceeded predicted ranges primarily based on these components.
Outcomes recommend common well being measures might have adjustment to handle the distinctive wants of such higher-risk teams.
“The complex interplay of social factors in BMI risk shows the importance of intersectional approaches in health policy and intervention design,” says Dr. Borrell. “We urge policymakers to consider these patterns to improve effectiveness in obesity prevention and treatment strategies across Spain.”
The analysis is printed within the journal Annals of Epidemiology.
Extra data:
Luisa N. Borrell et al, Physique mass index inequities amongst adults in Spain: An intersectional multilevel evaluation of particular person heterogeneity and discriminatory accuracy of age, intercourse/gender, immigration standing, and schooling, Annals of Epidemiology (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2025.09.013
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Research reveals BMI disparities amongst immigrants (2025, October 1)
retrieved 1 October 2025
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