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Obesity inequality in Malaysia: decomposing differences by gender and ethnicity using quantile regression
Richard A Dunn1, Andrew K G Tan, Rodolfo M Nayga
1Texas A&M University, 2124 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-2124, USA. dunn.econ@gmail.com
Ethnicity & Health
|February 25, 2012
Summary
Socioeconomic factors do not fully explain obesity disparities between Malays and Chinese in Malaysia. Lifestyle behavior changes are crucial for reducing obesity and inequality.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Health Economics
Background:
- Obesity prevalence varies significantly across gender and ethnic groups in Malaysia.
- Understanding the drivers of these disparities is critical for public health interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of socioeconomic inequality in explaining ethnic disparities in obesity.
- To analyze the contribution of socioeconomic factors to differences in Body Mass Index (BMI) between Malays and Chinese.
Main Methods:
- Quantile regression was used to estimate Body Mass Index (BMI) distributions for Malays and Chinese.
- BMI differences were decomposed into components attributable to socioeconomic endowments and responses to endowments.
Main Results:
- Malays exhibited higher obesity rates compared to Chinese across both genders.
- Socioeconomic endowments explained minimal BMI differences in the lower 75% of the distribution.
- At the 90th percentile, socioeconomic endowments accounted for a maximum of 30% of the BMI difference.
Conclusions:
- Economic development and associated increases in income and education may not resolve obesity inequality.
- Targeted interventions focusing on lifestyle behavior modification are essential for reducing obesity and its associated inequalities in Malaysia.
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