Research project Body size, mental health and inequalitiy (BMI): A life course perspective
The project investigated the social and developmental origins and consequences of overweight and obesity, negative body image, disordered eating and impaired psychological well-being over the life course and across generations of parents and children in South Africa and Sweden.
An emphasis was placed on better understanding the role psychological well-being plays on the development of overweight and obesity, and a special focus will be given to identifying modifiable risk factors and social determinants of health, such as socio-demographic characteristics, family and social environment and social mobility. These factors may be important in mediating and/or moderating the relationship between body mass index and psychological well-being across the life courses.
Project description
The specific topic of our research collaboration concerns the burden of overweight and obesity and its strong social patterning in South Africa and Sweden. The research seeks to use complementary existing sources of information from surveys, cohort studies and register data linkages in South Africa, Sweden and Australia, and apply modern methods from life course and social epidemiology to investigate the social and developmental origins and consequences of overweight and obesity, negative body image, disordered eating and impaired psychological well-being across the life course and across generations of parents and children.
An emphasis will be placed on better understanding of the role played by psychological well-being on the development of overweight and obesity throughout the life course and across generations. Special focus will be given to identifying the modifiable risk factors and social determinants of health such as socio-demographic characteristics, family and social environment and social mobility. These factors may be important in mediating and/or moderating the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and psychological well-being across the life courses of men and women.
The research will build on our combined expertise in qualitative research and quantitative methods for life course and social epidemiology and the two collaborating institutions’ shared interest in social determinants of health. Within the project, the researchers aim to develop further collaborations with colleagues in public health, health promotion, and health policy to address an important public health problem that has been affecting both collaborating countries. We also aim to share existing international research networks and strengthen and expand collaborative links among our institutions in order to enrich our teaching, research and dissemination activities in the realm of public health and health inequalities.
Project members
Project managers
Ilona Grünberger
Professor
Members
Daniel Falkstedt
Associate professor, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet
Amy Heshmati
PhD Student
Anton Lager
Researcher, Unit for health status and care needs analysis, Stockholms läns landsting