Insights from a cross-sectional binational study comparing obesity among nonimmigrant Colombians in their home country and Colombian immigrants in the U.S.

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Abstract

Background

Latinos in the United States (U.S.) represent a heterogeneous minority population disproportionally impacted by obesity. Colombians in the U.S. are routinely combined with other South Americans in most obesity studies. Moreover, most studies among Latino immigrants in the U.S. solely focus on factors in the destination context, which largely ignores the prevalence of obesity and contextual factors in their country of origin, and warrant transnational investigations.

Methods

Using 2013-17 data from the New York City Community Health Survey (NYC CHS, U.S.) and the National Survey of the Nutritional Situation (ENSIN, Colombia), Colombians that immigrated to the U.S. and are living in NYC (n = 503) were compared to nonimmigrant Colombians living in their home country (n = 98,829). Prevalence ratios (PR) for obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m ²) by place of residence were estimated using multivariable logistic regression adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics and daily consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages.

Results

The prevalence of obesity was 49% greater for immigrant Colombians living in NYC when compared to nonimmigrant Colombians living in in their home country (PR = 1.49; 95% CI 1.08, 2.07). Colombian immigrant men in NYC were 72% more likely to have obesity compared to nonimmigrant men living in their home country (PR = 1.72; 95% CI 1.03, 2.87). No significant differences were found in the adjusted models among women.

Conclusions

Colombian immigrants in NYC exhibit a higher prevalence of obesity compared to their nonimmigrant counterparts back home and sex strengthens this relationship. More obesity research is needed to understand the immigration experience of Colombians in the U.S. and the underlying mechanisms for sex difference. Public health action focused on women in Colombia and both Colombian men and women immigrants in the U.S. is warranted to avert the long-term consequences of obesity.

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Worldwide trends in body-mass index, underweight, overweight, and obesity from 1975 to 2016: a pooled analysis of 2416 population-based measurement studies in 128·9 million children, adolescents, and adults

Leandra Abarca-Gómez, Ziad A Abdeen, Zargar Abdul Hamid … (2019)

Summary Background Underweight, overweight, and obesity in childhood and adolescence are associated with adverse health consequences throughout the life-course. Our aim was to estimate worldwide trends in mean body-mass index (BMI) and a comprehensive set of BMI categories that cover underweight to obesity in children and adolescents, and to compare trends with those of adults. Methods We pooled 2416 population-based studies with measurements of height and weight on 128·9 million participants aged 5 years and older, including 31·5 million aged 5–19 years. We used a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate trends from 1975 to 2016 in 200 countries for mean BMI and for prevalence of BMI in the following categories for children and adolescents aged 5–19 years: more than 2 SD below the median of the WHO growth reference for children and adolescents (referred to as moderate and severe underweight hereafter), 2 SD to more than 1 SD below the median (mild underweight), 1 SD below the median to 1 SD above the median (healthy weight), more than 1 SD to 2 SD above the median (overweight but not obese), and more than 2 SD above the median (obesity). Findings Regional change in age-standardised mean BMI in girls from 1975 to 2016 ranged from virtually no change (−0·01 kg/m2 per decade; 95% credible interval −0·42 to 0·39, posterior probability [PP] of the observed decrease being a true decrease=0·5098) in eastern Europe to an increase of 1·00 kg/m2 per decade (0·69–1·35, PP>0·9999) in central Latin America and an increase of 0·95 kg/m2 per decade (0·64–1·25, PP>0·9999) in Polynesia and Micronesia. The range for boys was from a non-significant increase of 0·09 kg/m2 per decade (−0·33 to 0·49, PP=0·6926) in eastern Europe to an increase of 0·77 kg/m2 per decade (0·50–1·06, PP>0·9999) in Polynesia and Micronesia. Trends in mean BMI have recently flattened in northwestern Europe and the high-income English-speaking and Asia-Pacific regions for both sexes, southwestern Europe for boys, and central and Andean Latin America for girls. By contrast, the rise in BMI has accelerated in east and south Asia for both sexes, and southeast Asia for boys. Global age-standardised prevalence of obesity increased from 0·7% (0·4–1·2) in 1975 to 5·6% (4·8–6·5) in 2016 in girls, and from 0·9% (0·5–1·3) in 1975 to 7·8% (6·7–9·1) in 2016 in boys; the prevalence of moderate and severe underweight decreased from 9·2% (6·0–12·9) in 1975 to 8·4% (6·8–10·1) in 2016 in girls and from 14·8% (10·4–19·5) in 1975 to 12·4% (10·3–14·5) in 2016 in boys. Prevalence of moderate and severe underweight was highest in India, at 22·7% (16·7–29·6) among girls and 30·7% (23·5–38·0) among boys. Prevalence of obesity was more than 30% in girls in Nauru, the Cook Islands, and Palau; and boys in the Cook Islands, Nauru, Palau, Niue, and American Samoa in 2016. Prevalence of obesity was about 20% or more in several countries in Polynesia and Micronesia, the Middle East and north Africa, the Caribbean, and the USA. In 2016, 75 (44–117) million girls and 117 (70–178) million boys worldwide were moderately or severely underweight. In the same year, 50 (24–89) million girls and 74 (39–125) million boys worldwide were obese. Interpretation The rising trends in children's and adolescents' BMI have plateaued in many high-income countries, albeit at high levels, but have accelerated in parts of Asia, with trends no longer correlated with those of adults. Funding Wellcome Trust, AstraZeneca Young Health Programme.

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Health effects of dietary risks in 195 countries, 1990–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Ashkan Afshin, Patrick Sur, Kairsten A. Fay … (2019)

Summary Background Suboptimal diet is an important preventable risk factor for non-communicable diseases (NCDs); however, its impact on the burden of NCDs has not been systematically evaluated. This study aimed to evaluate the consumption of major foods and nutrients across 195 countries and to quantify the impact of their suboptimal intake on NCD mortality and morbidity. Methods By use of a comparative risk assessment approach, we estimated the proportion of disease-specific burden attributable to each dietary risk factor (also referred to as population attributable fraction) among adults aged 25 years or older. The main inputs to this analysis included the intake of each dietary factor, the effect size of the dietary factor on disease endpoint, and the level of intake associated with the lowest risk of mortality. Then, by use of disease-specific population attributable fractions, mortality, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), we calculated the number of deaths and DALYs attributable to diet for each disease outcome. Findings In 2017, 11 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 10–12) deaths and 255 million (234–274) DALYs were attributable to dietary risk factors. High intake of sodium (3 million [1–5] deaths and 70 million [34–118] DALYs), low intake of whole grains (3 million [2–4] deaths and 82 million [59–109] DALYs), and low intake of fruits (2 million [1–4] deaths and 65 million [41–92] DALYs) were the leading dietary risk factors for deaths and DALYs globally and in many countries. Dietary data were from mixed sources and were not available for all countries, increasing the statistical uncertainty of our estimates. Interpretation This study provides a comprehensive picture of the potential impact of suboptimal diet on NCD mortality and morbidity, highlighting the need for improving diet across nations. Our findings will inform implementation of evidence-based dietary interventions and provide a platform for evaluation of their impact on human health annually. Funding Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

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The obesity transition: stages of the global epidemic

Lindsay M. Jaacks, Stefanie Vandevijvere, An Lian Pan … (2019)

Our aim was to consolidate the evidence on the epidemiology of obesity into a conceptual model of the ‘obesity transition’. Illustrative examples from the thirty most populous countries, representing 77·5% of the world’s population, were used. Stage 1 of the obesity transition is characterised by a higher prevalence in women compared to men, in those with higher compared to lower socioeconomic status, and adults compared to children. Many countries in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa are at this stage. In Stage 2, there is a large increase in the prevalence among adults, a smaller increase among children, and a narrowing of the gender gap and socioeconomic differences among women. Many Latin American and Middle Eastern countries are at this stage. High-income East Asian countries are also at this stage, albeit with a much lower prevalence of obesity. Stage 3 occurs when the prevalence of obesity among those with lower socioeconomic status surpasses that among those with higher socioeconomic status and plateaus in obesity may be observed among women with high socioeconomic status and children. Most European countries are currently at this stage. There are too few signs of countries entering into the proposed final stage of declining obesity prevalence to determine demographic patterns. This conceptual model is intended to provide guidance to researchers and policymakers in identifying the current stage of the obesity transition in a population, anticipate sub-populations that will experience obesity in the future, and enact proactive measures to attenuate the transition, taking into consideration local contextual factors.

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Author and article information

Contributors

Terry T-K Huang: terry.huang@sph.cuny.edu

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): BMC Public Health

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): BMC Public Health

Title: BMC Public Health

Publisher: BioMed Central (London )

ISSN (Electronic): 1471-2458

Publication date (Electronic): 6 August 2023

Publication date PMC-release: 6 August 2023

Publication date Collection: 2023

Volume: 23

Electronic Location Identifier: 1495

Affiliations

GRID grid.212340.6, ISNI 0000000122985718, Center for Systems and Community Design, Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, , City University of New York, ; 55 West 125th Street, New York, NY 10027 USA

Article

Publisher ID: 16322

DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-16322-2

PMC ID: 10405453

PubMed ID: 37544992

SO-VID: 40c7aad7-fbba-4f2d-a25e-ab16810e9c30

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Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver ( http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated in a credit line to the data.

History

Date received : 25 April 2023

Date accepted : 17 July 2023

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Insights from a cross-sectional binational study comparing obesity among nonimmigrant Colombians in their home country and Colombian immigrants in the U.S.

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Most cited references 43

Worldwide trends in body-mass index, underweight, overweight, and obesity from 1975 to 2016: a pooled analysis of 2416 population-based measurement studies in 128·9 million children, adolescents, and adults

Health effects of dietary risks in 195 countries, 1990–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

The obesity transition: stages of the global epidemic

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