Abstract
BackgroundOverweight and obesity are important risk factors for chronic non-communicable diseases, and their prevalence is on the rise worldwide. This study seeks to describe the prevalence and predictors of overweight and obesity in Brazilian immigrants living in Massachusetts, United States of America (USA).MethodsModeled after a survey on behavioral risk factors for chronic disease conducted annually in Brazil (Vigilância de Fatores de Risco e Proteção para Doenças Crônicas por Inquérito Telefônico: Vigitel), Brazilian immigrants aged 18+ (n = 361) were surveyed between December 2013 and March 2014. Information was obtained from consenting participants regarding their demographic characteristics, physical activity, dietary and lifestyle habits, and other behavioral risk factors. Weight status was estimated from body mass index (BMI), calculated from self-reported height and weight data. Participants were categorized as overweight/obese if their BMI was ≥25; overweight and obese categories were combined to ensure appropriate sample size. Prevalence of overweight/obesity was estimated using STATA, and significant predictors were identified via multi-variable logistic regression. Odds ratio (OR), 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) and p-values were determined.ResultsThe overall prevalence of overweight/obesity in the sample was 47.6%. Significant predictors of overweight and obesity were gender (men OR 2.30, 95% CI: 1.10, 3.78; women are comparison group), working in the 3 months prior to the survey (OR 2.90, 95% CI: 1.01, 8.30), and longer duration living in the USA (OR per additional year 1.06, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.11). Significant dietary predictors of overweight/obesity included 5 or more days per week of consumption of red meat (OR red meat 3.70, 95% CI: 1.47, 9.26) or of sweetened beverages, like soft drinks also known as soda (OR soda 2.40, 95% CI: 1.00, 5.78) compared with less frequent consumption of these foods.ConclusionsThis study suggests that long duration of time lived in the USA increases odds of overweight and obesity for Brazilian immigrants living in Massachusetts. Efforts to curb increases in overweight and obesity in this population should focus not only on the men and those who work but also the women. Possible intervention measures should target soda (soft drink) and red meat consumption in Brazilian immigrants.
Highlights
Overweight and obesity are important risk factors for chronic non-communicable diseases, and their prevalence is on the rise worldwide
Immigrants who have lived in the United States of America (USA) for at least 15 years have overweight and obesity levels approaching those of USA-born adults [4, 7], and a positive association is generally found between duration of residence in the USA and body mass index (BMI) [4, 7,8,9,10]
The Consulate General of Brazil in Boston, MA was selected as the primary location for survey administration given the wide variety of services provided to Brazilians there, helping to ensure sampling of immigrants of varying age, socioeconomic status, place of residence within MA, and other demographic characteristics
Summary
Overweight and obesity are important risk factors for chronic non-communicable diseases, and their prevalence is on the rise worldwide. Newly-arrived immigrants in the USA have lower levels of obesity, and better overall health, than the native-born population on arrival to the country [3,4,5,6]. This “healthy immigrant” phenomenon tends to fade over time. Immigrants who have lived in the USA for at least 15 years have overweight and obesity levels approaching those of USA-born adults [4, 7], and a positive association is generally found between duration of residence in the USA and BMI [4, 7,8,9,10]. Dietary acculturation, including increased consumption of fast food and soft drinks in the USA compared with the native country, is one potential mechanism for the observed relationship between time since immigration and increased weight [10, 15]
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