Goetjes, EvaPavlova, MilenaHongoro, CharlesGroot, Wim2022-04-072022-04-072021-08-31Goetjes, E.; Pavlova, M.; Hongoro, C.; Groot,W. Socioeconomic Inequalities and Obesity in South Africa—A Decomposition Analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2021, 18, 9181. https://DOI.org/ 10.3390/ijerph18179181.1660-4601 (online)10.3390/ijerph18179181http://hdl.handle.net/2263/84830BACKGROUND : Prior evidence shows that inequalities are related to overweight and obesity in South Africa. Using data from a recent national study, we examine the socioeconomic inequalities associated with obesity in South Africa and the factors associated with it. METHODS : We use quantitative data from the South African National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (SANHANES-1) carried out in 2012. We estimate the concentration index (CI) to identify inequalities and decompose the CI to explore the determinants of these inequalities. RESULTS : We confirm the existence of pro-rich inequalities associated with obesity in South Africa. The inequalities among males are larger (CI of 0.16) than among women (CI of 0.09), though more women are obese than men. Marriage increases the risk of obesity for women and men, while smoking decreases the risk of obesity among men significantly. Higher education is associated with lower inequalities among females. CONCLUSIONS: We recommend policies to focus on promoting a healthy lifestyle, including the individual’s perception of a healthy body size and image, especially among women.en© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.EquitySocioeconomic inequalitiesObesityErreyger concentration indexDecomposition analysisArticle