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. 2013 Nov;37(6):807-18.
doi: 10.5993/AJHB.37.6.10.

Ethnic-immigrant disparities in total and abdominal obesity in the US

Ming Wen  1 , Lori Kowaleski-Jones, Jessie X Fan
Affiliations

Ethnic-immigrant disparities in total and abdominal obesity in the US

Ming Wen et al. Am J Health Behav. 2013 Nov.

Abstract

Objectives: To examine sex-specific disparities in total and abdominal obesity prevalence across 6 ethnic-immigrant groups and explore whether the observed differences were attributable to diet and physical activity (PA).

Methods: Data were from 4331 respondents age 18-64 from the 2003-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Sex-specific multiple logistic regression analyses were performed.

Results: Regardless of race-ethnicity, immigrants exhibited lower prevalence of total and abdominal obesity than natives. Among the US-born, Whites had the lowest total obesity prevalence followed by Hispanics and then Blacks; but racial-ethnic disparities for immigrants were different. In abdominal obesity, US-born white men had the highest prevalence. PA helped explain some ethnic-immigrant disparities.

Conclusions: Complex interactions of sex by race-ethnicity and nativity exist for obesity prevalence.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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