El rol de la riqueza y la educación sobre el riesgo de sobrepeso y obesidad: análisis para el Ecuador mediante las encuestas ENSANUT para 2012 y 2018

Abstract

According to figures from the World Health Organization, overweight and obesity have almost tripled worldwide since 1975. In the face of the alarming situation, in this paper we study the independent and combined effects of wealth quintile and level of education on the risk of overweight and obesity. For this, we use the National Health and Nutrition Survey (ENSANUT) for 2012 and 2018. Using probability models, we find that wealth constitutes an obesogenic factor, while the level of education generates a protective effect. The interaction of these factors showed that this protective effect is greater in the high wealth group, therefore, people in this group who have better levels of education are less exposed to this pathology. In addition, the risk of suffering from this condition increases with age, being a woman, living in an urban area, being in a relationship, and belonging to the Coast region and Galápagos. In addition, the indigenous ethnic group is the one with the lowest prevalence of overweight and obesity in the country. Given these findings, we conclude that the country is at a stage where the social distribution of overweight and obesity affects the high wealth group and shows no signs that this situation is reverting to the low wealth group. Finally, we suggest that public policies should focus on the formation of healthy habits in people, and not so much on restrictive policies on the supply side that have not achieved the desired success over the years.