Abstract: Obesity is not only a simple physical problem, but also affected by social environment and structural factors. In developed countries, socioeconomic status is negatively related to obesity, but this relationship exists only in women. In developing countries, the relationship between socioeconomic status and obesity shows a consistent positive association among various human group. Based on the empirical evidence, we can explain the socioeconomic disparities in obesity from three aspects: material and economic conditions, social culture and individual psychological factors. Future work should select a nationally representative sample, further investigate the understanding of the relationship between socioeconomic status and obesity and its intrinsic mechanism, and give full consideration to the influence of the local background to provide an effective theoretical guidance for the containment of the spread of obesity in our country.

Key words: socioeconomic status, obesity, health inequality