eMJA: Overweight and obesity in Australia: the 1999–2000 Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study (AusDiab)

Correction

Overweight and obesity in Australia: the 1999–2000 Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study (AusDiab)

Adrian J Cameron, Timothy A Welborn, Paul Z Zimmet, David W Dunstan, Neville Owen, Jo Salmon, Marita Dalton, Damien Jolley and Jonathan E Shaw

MJA 2004; 180 (8): 418

Re: “Overweight and obesity in Australia: the 1999–2000 Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study (AusDiab)”, by Adrian J Cameron, Timothy A Welborn, Paul Z Zimmet et al in the 5 May 2003 issue of the Journal (Med J Aust 2003; 178: 427-432).

In Box 3 and Box 4 (pages 429 and 430), the row headings for the weekly income categories were reversed — the reference category should have been the lowest (rather than the highest) income group. These sections of Boxes 3 and 4, as they should have appeared, are shown below.

This reversal affected our interpretation of the results of the study. In the Results section (page 431), we stated that “Increasing income increased the risk of obesity in women. Although no such association was significant for men, both the BMI and waist circumference data suggested that middle-income men tended to be more obese than the lowest income group.”

This should have read: “Increasing income decreased the risk of obesity in women. Although no such association was significant for men, both the BMI and waist circumference data suggested that middle-income men tended to be more obese than the highest income group.”

In the Discussion section (page 432), we stated that “In men, minor trends for middle-income groups to be more obese and the least affluent to be thin were observed, although these were not significant. Women, by contrast, showed a strong positive graded association between income and obesity.”

This should have read: “In men, minor trends for middle-income groups to be more obese and the most affluent to be thin were observed, although these were not significant. Women, by contrast, showed a strong negative graded association between income and obesity.”

The association between obesity and income was not a major outcome of the study, with the results focusing on the prevalence of obesity and the association of obesity with physical activity and television viewing time.

The html and pdf versions of the article published in the eMJA were corrected on 20 March 2004.

3: Association between obesity (measured using body mass index [BMI]* [n = 4996] and waist circumference* [n = 4984]) and potential risk factors among Australian men

	Body mass index		Waist circumference
	n	Adjusted odds ratio† (95% CI)	n	Adjusted odds ratio† (95% CI)

Smoking status
Non/ex-smoker	4048	1.00	4041	1.00
Smoker	865	0.71 (0.48–1.04)	860	0.63 (0.51–0.78)‡
Physical activity§
Lowest quintile	946	1.00	946	1.00
Highest quintile	1021	0.70 (0.46–1.06)	1022	0.56 (0.42–0.75)‡
Television viewing¶
Lowest quintile	784	1.00	783	1.00
Highest quintile	1094	1.86 (1.30–2.67)‡	1093	1.97 (1.48–2.63)‡
Education
University/Further education	2089	1.00	2086	1.00
Completed high school	901	1.14 (0.92–1.42)	900	0.93 (0.69–1.27)
Some high school completed	1693	2.19 (1.6–3.01)‡	1684	1.65 (1.17–2.33)‡
Primary school/never attended school	309	2.40 (1.59–3.61)‡	310	2.31 (1.69–3.15) ‡
Country of birth
Australia/New Zealand	3727	1.00	3713	1.00
United Kingdom/Northern Ireland	612	0.92 (0.65–1.29)	611	0.89 (0.68–1.16)
Rest of world	653	0.85 (0.67–1.08)	656	0.60 (0.40–0.92)‡
Weekly income (A$)
0–199	502	1.00	502	1.00
200–399	1541	1.18 (0.80–1.74)	1533	1.30 (0.93–1.81)
400–599	1162	1.12 (0.78–1.60)	1157	1.29 (0.91–1.82)
600–799	1133	1.07 (0.77–1.50)	1134	1.23 (0.84–1.80)
800–1499	571	1.06 (0.70–1.62)	573	0.97 (0.69–1.36)
1500+	37	0 .68 (0.22–2.07)	36	0.51 (0.17–1.54)
Occupation**
Skill level 1	1243	1.00	1244	1.00
Skill level 2	540	0.65 (0.46–0.93)‡	534	0.74 (0.49–1.14)
Skill level 3	658	0.48 (0.32–0.72)‡	659	0.43 (0.26–0.70)‡
Skill level 4	604	0.95 (0.63–1.43)	602	0.84 (0.58–1.21)
Skill level 5	304	0.93 (0.52–1.63)	304	0.92 (0.46–1.84)
Others	1629	0.56 (0.35–0.89)‡	1623	1.07 (0.66–1.72)

* Obesity defined as BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2, or waist circumference ≥ 102 cm. † Model adjusted for age and all other risk factors in the table. ‡ Significantly different from reference (P < 0.05). § Quintiles of physical activity: < 30 minutes = lowest, ≥ 550 minutes = highest. ¶ Quintiles of television viewing: < 300 minutes = lowest, ≥ 1260 minutes = highest. ** Skill levels: 1 — managers, administrators and professionals; 2 — associate professionals; 3 — tradespersons, advanced clerical and service workers; 4 — intermediate clerical, sales and service workers, intermediate production and transport workers; 5 — elementary clerical, sales and service workers and labourers; and others — students, retirees, pensioners and unemployed.

4: Association between obesity (measured using body mass index [BMI]* [n = 6071] and waist circumference* [n = 6075]) and each of the potential risk factors among Australian women

	Body mass index			Waist circumference
	n	Adjusted odds ratio† (95% CI)	n	Adjusted odds ratio† (95% CI)

Smoking status
Non/ex-smoker	5123	1.00	5128	1.00
Smoker	857	0.70 (0.51–0.97)‡	858	1.03 (0.76–1.39)
Physical activity§
Lowest quintile	1254	1.00	1255	1.00
Highest quintile	1221	0.47 (0.31–0.72)‡	1221	0.53 (0.34–0.80)‡
Television viewing¶
Lowest quintile	992	1.00	994	1.00
Highest quintile	1292	1.82 (1.19–2.76)‡	1295	2.27 (1.55–3.32)‡
Education
University/Further education	1985	1.00	1985	1.00
Completed high school	1185	1.04 (0.77–1.40)	1185	1.31 (1.01–1.70)‡
Some high school completed	2481	1.48 (1.19–1.83)‡	2487	1.47 (1.19–1.82)‡
Primary school/never attended school	419	2.12 (1.18–3.80)‡	417	2.68 (1.64–4.36)‡
Country of birth
Australia/New Zealand	4672	1.00	4677	1.00
United Kingdom/Northern Ireland	644	0.95 (0.68–1.34)	646	1.01 (0.69–1.49)
Rest of world	754	0.80 (0.66–0.97)‡	751	0.72 (0.57–0.92)‡
Weekly income (A$)
0–199	1034	1.00	1034	1.00
200–399	2046	0.85 (0.67–1.08)	2046	0.93 (0.74–1.19)
400–599	1270	0.87 (0.66–1.15)	1274	0.79 (0.62–1.02)
600–799	1064	0.57 (0.40–0.82)‡	1062	0.62 (0.46–0.83)‡
800–1499	499	0.67 (0.48–0.93)‡	501	0.59 (0.37–0.94)‡
1500+	20	0.63 (0.19–2.11)	20	0.46 (0.13–1.65)
Occupation**
Skill level 1	990	1.00	989	1.00
Skill level 2	390	0.82 (0.41–1.65)	389	0.80 (0.48–1.34)
Skill level 3	354	0.88 (0.55–1.40)	355	0.93 (0.58–1.48)
Skill level 4	886	1.11 (0.72–1.71)	884	0.74 (0.53–1.05)
Skill level 5	549	0.84 (0.45–1.57)	551	0.90 (0.60–1.36)
Others	2869	0.94 (0.54–1.63)	2874	1.08 (0.71–1.64)

* Obesity defined as BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2, or waist circumference ≥ 88 cm. † Model adjusted for age and all other risk factors in the table. ‡ Significantly different from reference (P < 0.05). § Quintiles of physical activity: < 20 minutes = lowest, ≥ 390 minutes = highest. ¶ Quintiles of television viewing: < 240 minutes = lowest, ≥ 1200 minutes = highest. ** Skill levels: 1 — managers, administrators and professionals; 2 — associate professionals; 3 — tradespersons, advanced clerical and service workers; 4 — intermediate clerical, sales and service workers, intermediate production and transport workers; 5 — elementary clerical, sales and service workers and labourers; and others — students, retirees, pensioners and unemployed.