Associations between Area-Level Unemployment, Body Mass Index, and Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease in an Urban Area

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Ashley Isaac Naimi³  Catherine Paquet²  Lise Gauvin¹ 

[1] Axe santé des populations, CRCHUM (Centre de recherche du Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal), Montréal, Québec H2W 1V1, Canada; E-Mail:;Sansom Institute for Health Research, The University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia; E-Mail:;Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; E-Mail:

关键词: neighbourhood;    unemployment;    cardiovascular diseases;    residence characteristics;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph6123082

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) has been linked to “neighbourhood” socioeconomic status (nSES), often operationalized as a composite index of aggregate income, occupation and education within predefined administrative boundaries. The role of specific, non-composite socioeconomic markers has not been clearly explained. It is also unclear whether the relationship between nSES and CVD varies according to sex. We sought to determine whether area-level unemployment (ALU) was associated with CVD risk, and whether this association differed by sex.

342 individuals from the Montreal Neighbourhood Survey of Lifestyle and Health provided self-reported behavioural and socioeconomic information. A nurse collected biochemical and anthropometric data. ALU, a weighted average of the proportion of persons 15-years and older available for but without work, was measured using a Geographic Information System for a 250 m buffer centred on individual residence. Generalized Estimating Equations were used to estimate the associations between ALU, body mass index (BMI) and a cumulative score for total cardiometabolic risk (TCR).

After confounder adjustments, the mean 4^th minus 1^st quartile difference in BMI was 3.19 kg/m² (95% CI: 2.39, 3.99), while the prevalence ratio for the 4^th relative to 1^st quartile for TCR was 2.20 (95 % CI: 1.53, 3.17). Sex interacted with ALU; women relative to men had greater mean 3.97 kg/m² (95% CI: 2.08, 5.85) BMI and greater mean TCR 1.51 (95% CI: 0.78, 2.90), contrasted at mean ALU.

Area-level unemployment is associated with greater CVD risk, and this association is stronger for women.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2009 by the authors; licensee Molecular Diversity Preservation International, Basel, Switzerland.