The Association of Healthy Lifestyle and Socioeconomic Status with Kidney Stone Occurrence: A Cross-Sectional Study

Kidney stones are a very common urinary tract ailment that is becoming more common every year, especially in developed nations. Kidney stones have a complex etiology, with both hereditary and environmental factors playing a major role. The risk of kidney stones may be significantly influenced by both a healthy lifestyle and socioeconomic level (SES), according to earlier research. However, thorough research on these correlations is still lacking. This study set out to investigate the association between kidney stone incidence, SES, and a healthy lifestyle. Data from the 2007–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were used in this investigation. Latent class analysis (LCA) and multiple logistic regression analysis were employed to investigate the relationship between SES, healthy lifestyle, and the occurrence of kidney stones. Furthermore, to support the consistency of the findings, interaction analyses were undertaken to evaluate the link between SES and kidney stones in various covariate groups. The study included 16,930 participants, who were divided into four SES groups. Significant differences were observed in gender, ethnicity, education, marital status, employment, BMI，alcohol consumption, diabetes, HEI-2015 scores, insurance coverage, physical activity, smoking, and hypertension across SES groups (p < 0.001). Those with low SES exhibited an elevated risk of developing kidney stones (adjusted β = 0.39, p < 0.001), whereas those with high SES demonstrated a protective effect (adjusted β = -0.29, p = 0.002). An increased incidence of kidney stones was linked to worse lifestyle ratings. Subgroup analyses revealed significant associations between SES and kidney stones among Mexican Americans, non-Hispanic whites, individuals with normal BMI, and non-diabetic individuals Our study found a significant link between low SES, poor lifestyle scores, and the development of kidney stones, with higher SES and better lifestyle reducing this risk. Thus, SES and a healthy lifestyle, including specific recommendations such as increased physical activity and dietary adjustments, should be key considerations in kidney stone management strategies, and further research is needed to understand these associations for better public health policy and clinical practice.