The public health impact of socioeconomic status on adolescent depression and obesity

Objectives. We examined the public health impact of the socioeconomic status (SES) gradient on adolescents'. physical and mental health. Methods. Population attributable risk (PAR) for household income and parental education were calculated relative to depression and obesity among a nationally representative sample of 15112 adolescents. Results. PARs for income and education were large. Across each gender and race/ethnicity group, the PAR for education tended to exceed that for income. For depression, the adjusted PAR for income was 26%, and the PAR for education was 40%; for obesity, the adjusted PAR for income was 32%, and the PAR for education was 39%. Conclusions. SES is associated with a large proportion of the disease burden within the total population.