Sociodemographic and economic determinants of overweight and obesity in female food-aid users in France (the ABENA study 2004-2005).

Studies among participants in food assistance programs in the USA have highlighted the high prevalence of obesity in women and revealed that body mass varies across sociodemographic categories, including ethnicity and familial status (Kaushal, 2007; Meyerhoeffer and Pylypchuk, 2008). In Europe, random samplings of deprived populations are scarce when assessing such issues. The French “Diet and nutritional status of beneficiaries of food aid” study (ABENA, 2004–2005) stated that the prevalence of obesity among female foodaid users (29.3%) was twice that of the general population in France (17.6%) (Vernay et al., 2009). To improve the nutritional status of female food-aid users, health policymakers and food-aid associations should take into account causes of nutritional disparities. Our aim here was to identify sociodemographic and economic characteristics associated with overweight and obesity in women participating in the
cross-sectional ABENA study (n=595).