Research

Adherence

Low childhood socioeconomic status is independently associated with an increased risk of overweight and obesity in later life, although the evidence is less consistent than for diabetes.

Your childhood environment can influence your adult weight. If you grew up in a low-SES household, you may face higher risks for obesity, even if your current socioeconomic status is higher. This suggests that early-life interventions and ongoing support for healthy lifestyle habits are crucial, as the effects of early deprivation can persist into adulthood.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Four out of eleven studies observed an independent association of low childhood SES on the risk for overweight and obesity later in life.
Teresa Tamayo et al. · BMC Public Health · 2010

Why this rating

Based on 11 studies, but only 4 showed an independent association, indicating heterogeneity.

Source

Impact of early psychosocial factors (childhood socioeconomic factors and adversities) on future risk of type 2 diabetes, metabolic disturbances and obesity: a systematic review

Teresa Tamayo et al. · BMC Public Health · 2010

DOI 10.1186/1471-2458-10-525

systematic_review · n=270801Cited 219×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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