Socioeconomic status, dietary intake, and overweight/obesity among adolescents in tanzania: protocol for a secondary cross-sectional analysis
1
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A3016
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
Sub-Saharan Africa is undergoing a rapid nutritional transition, with overweight and obesity emerging as critical public health challenges among adolescents[1]. Urban centers like Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, are at the forefront of this shift, where changing food environments and socioeconomic (SES) gradients may uniquely influence adolescent health outcomes[1, 2]. While international evidence often links lower socioeconomic status (SES) to higher obesity risk, patterns in urban African contexts remain inconsistent and underexplored[3-5]. This study investigates the association between self-report SES status and overweight/obesity among adolescents aged 10–19 years in Dar Es Salaam, and to examine whether dietary intake modifies this relationship.
METHODS:
We will conduct a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from the 2022 Africa Research, Implementation Science, and Education (ARISE) network study, which included a representative sample of 1,200 adolescents from Dar-Es-Salaam. SES was assessed using the MacArthur Scale of Subjective Social Status and categorized into low, middle, and high[6]. Overweight/obesity was defined using WHO BMI-for-age z-scores. Dietary intake was evaluated via a food frequency questionnaire, with dietary diversity and consumption frequency of key food groups analyzed. To explore the relationship between SES, dietary intake and adiposity we will employ logistic regression models to estimate adjusted odds ratios, controlling for age, sex, physical activity, school enrolment, household composition, and substance use. Effect modification by dietary intake will be tested using interaction terms.
RESULTS:
This analysis is expected to clarify the direction and strength of the association between SES, dietary intake and overweight/obesity in a rapidly urbanizing setting. Results may reveal how dietary behaviors mediate/modify SES disparities in adolescent weight status. and similar urban African contexts.
CONCLUSIONS:
The findings will contribute locally relevant evidence to inform targeted obesity prevention strategies and nutritional policies aimed at mitigating non-communicable disease risks among adolescents in Dar Es Salaam and other similar contexts.
Sub-Saharan Africa is undergoing a rapid nutritional transition, with overweight and obesity emerging as critical public health challenges among adolescents[1]. Urban centers like Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, are at the forefront of this shift, where changing food environments and socioeconomic (SES) gradients may uniquely influence adolescent health outcomes[1, 2]. While international evidence often links lower socioeconomic status (SES) to higher obesity risk, patterns in urban African contexts remain inconsistent and underexplored[3-5]. This study investigates the association between self-report SES status and overweight/obesity among adolescents aged 10–19 years in Dar Es Salaam, and to examine whether dietary intake modifies this relationship.
METHODS:
We will conduct a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from the 2022 Africa Research, Implementation Science, and Education (ARISE) network study, which included a representative sample of 1,200 adolescents from Dar-Es-Salaam. SES was assessed using the MacArthur Scale of Subjective Social Status and categorized into low, middle, and high[6]. Overweight/obesity was defined using WHO BMI-for-age z-scores. Dietary intake was evaluated via a food frequency questionnaire, with dietary diversity and consumption frequency of key food groups analyzed. To explore the relationship between SES, dietary intake and adiposity we will employ logistic regression models to estimate adjusted odds ratios, controlling for age, sex, physical activity, school enrolment, household composition, and substance use. Effect modification by dietary intake will be tested using interaction terms.
RESULTS:
This analysis is expected to clarify the direction and strength of the association between SES, dietary intake and overweight/obesity in a rapidly urbanizing setting. Results may reveal how dietary behaviors mediate/modify SES disparities in adolescent weight status. and similar urban African contexts.
CONCLUSIONS:
The findings will contribute locally relevant evidence to inform targeted obesity prevention strategies and nutritional policies aimed at mitigating non-communicable disease risks among adolescents in Dar Es Salaam and other similar contexts.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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