Are there Socio-Economic Inequalities in Obesity in Spain?

Obesity is to date one of the main health policy concerns in western societies that have been argued to vary in line with a hypothetical socio-economic vector. Limited research has been devoted to these issues although it has strong policy implications. This paper examines the existence of income related inequalities in obesity in Spain. We undertake an empirical application using the National Health Survey (2001) and we examine the existence of inequalities by cutting the limit of individuals body weigh in overweight, total obesity and morbid obesity. Our findings indicate that income inequalities exist, although the contribution of education is the main variable explaining the prevalence of obesity as well as regional specific differences and lifestyles which indicate that social environment is and important variable in explaining the proliferation of obesity in Spain