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Immigrants at Risk for Obesity
stroke, diuretics plus ACE inhibitors or calcium channel blockers did not differ from diuretics plus beta-blockers. Monotherapy with calcium channel blockers versus diuretics was associated with a 55 percent increased risk of CVD death. “The findings of this observational study concerning monotherapy are consistent with the comparative clinical trials published thus far and support the current guidelines set forth in the report of the JNC 7 [Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure], which recommend low-dose diuretic therapy for most patients with hypertension,” the authors concluded.
Immigrants at Risk for Obesity
T
he longer an immigrant lives in the U.S., the more likely he or she is to be obese, according to a study in the December 15 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
34
AWHONN Lifelines
Since the 1980s, the U.S. population has become more obese. However, little information is available about the prevalence of obesity among immigrants, the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population, currently composing more than 11 percent of the total U.S. population and an even larger proportion of many minority groups. Immigrants generally originate from countries where the prevalence of obesity is lower than that of the U.S., but adopting American norms over time may lead to an increasing prevalence of obesity among this population. Researchers examined the relationship between prevalence of obesity and years of U.S. residence among immigrants nationally, and explored whether counseling about diet and exercise may differ between immigrants and U.S.-born adults. The researchers used data from the 2000 National Health Interview Survey. Information collected included BMI, measured as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters, and rates of diet and exercise counseling.
Of 32,374 respondents (representing an estimated 201 million adults in the U.S.), 14 percent were immigrants. The prevalence of obesity was 16 percent among immigrants and 22 percent among American-born individuals. The researchers found that the prevalence of obesity was 8 percent among immigrants living in the U.S. for less than 1 year but 19 percent among those living in the U.S. for more than 15 years. After adjusting for age, sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, living in the U.S. for 10 to 15 years was associated with a BMI increase of 0.88, while living in the U.S. for at least 15 years was associated with a BMI increase of 1.39. The association for more than 15 years was significant for all immigrant subgroups, including whites, Latinos and Asians, but not foreign-born blacks. The study also found that immigrants were less likely than Americanborn individuals to report discussing diet and exercise with clinicians (18 percent vs. 24 percent; 19 percent vs. 23 percent, respectively).
Volume 9
Issue 1
Immigrants at Risk for Obesity
T
he longer an immigrant lives in the U.S., the more likely he or she is to be obese, according to a study in the December 15 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
34
AWHONN Lifelines
Since the 1980s, the U.S. population has become more obese. However, little information is available about the prevalence of obesity among immigrants, the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population, currently composing more than 11 percent of the total U.S. population and an even larger proportion of many minority groups. Immigrants generally originate from countries where the prevalence of obesity is lower than that of the U.S., but adopting American norms over time may lead to an increasing prevalence of obesity among this population. Researchers examined the relationship between prevalence of obesity and years of U.S. residence among immigrants nationally, and explored whether counseling about diet and exercise may differ between immigrants and U.S.-born adults. The researchers used data from the 2000 National Health Interview Survey. Information collected included BMI, measured as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters, and rates of diet and exercise counseling.
Of 32,374 respondents (representing an estimated 201 million adults in the U.S.), 14 percent were immigrants. The prevalence of obesity was 16 percent among immigrants and 22 percent among American-born individuals. The researchers found that the prevalence of obesity was 8 percent among immigrants living in the U.S. for less than 1 year but 19 percent among those living in the U.S. for more than 15 years. After adjusting for age, sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, living in the U.S. for 10 to 15 years was associated with a BMI increase of 0.88, while living in the U.S. for at least 15 years was associated with a BMI increase of 1.39. The association for more than 15 years was significant for all immigrant subgroups, including whites, Latinos and Asians, but not foreign-born blacks. The study also found that immigrants were less likely than Americanborn individuals to report discussing diet and exercise with clinicians (18 percent vs. 24 percent; 19 percent vs. 23 percent, respectively).
Volume 9
Issue 1