Systemic Review protocol.docx

<b>Context: </b>Currently it is not well understood to what extent there are obesity inequalities by socioeconomic status (SES) in urban Latin America. <b>Objective: </b>This study reviewed the literature assessing associations between overweight, obesity and SES in adults. <b>Data sources: </b>Pubmed and Scielo databases. <b>Data extraction: </b>Data extraction was conducted using the PRISMA guidelines. We extracted data on the direction of the association between SES (e.g. education and income), overweight (BMI ≥25 and &lt;30 kg/m²) and obesity (BMI≥30 kg/m²) in Latin American urban regions. Relative differences between low and high SES groups were assessed and defined a priori as significant at p&lt;0.05. <b>Data analysis: </b>Thirty-one studies met our inclusion criteria and most were conducted in Brazil (22) and Mexico. Only one study presented just non-significant associations. Fifty percent of associations between education or income and overweight were negative/inverse. Regarding obesity, 80% were negative and 20% positive. Most negative associations were found in women. Associations between BMI and SES usually followed the same pattern, except in men where they varied depending on the indicator used. <b></b> <b>Conclusion:<i> </i></b>Low SES individuals in urban Latin America, especially women, have higher BMI levels highlighting the need for interventions.