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. 2013 Oct 29:2013:898691.
doi: 10.5402/2013/898691. eCollection 2013.

Dramatic Increases in Obesity and Overweight Prevalence among Asian Subgroups in the United States, 1992-2011

Gopal K Singh  1 , Sue C Lin  2
Affiliations

Dramatic Increases in Obesity and Overweight Prevalence among Asian Subgroups in the United States, 1992-2011

Gopal K Singh et al. ISRN Prev Med. .

Abstract

We examined trends in adult obesity and overweight prevalence among major Asian/Pacific Islander (API) subgroups and the non-Hispanic whites from 1992 to 2011. Using 1992-2011 National Health Interview Surveys, obesity, overweight, and BMI differentials were analyzed by logistic, linear, and log-linear regression. Between 1992 and 2011, obesity prevalence doubled for the Chinese, the Asian Indians, the Japanese, and the Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders; and tripled for the Filipinos. Obesity prevalence among API adults tripled from 3.7% in 1992 to 13.3% in 2010, and overweight prevalence doubled from 23.2% to 43.1%. Immigrants in each API subgroup had lower prevalence than their US-born counterparts, with immigrants' obesity and overweight risks increasing with increasing duration of residence. During 2006-2011, obesity prevalence ranged from 3.3% for Chinese immigrants to 22.3% for the US-born Filipinos and 41.1% for the Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders. The Asian Indians, the Filipinos, and the Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders had, respectively, 3.1, 3.8, and 10.9 times higher odds of obesity than those of the Chinese adults. Compared with Chinese immigrants, the adjusted odds of obesity were 3.5-4.6 times higher for the US-born Chinese and the foreign-born Filipinos, 9 times higher for the US-born Filipinos and whites, 3.8-5.5 times higher for the US-born and foreign-born Asian Indians, and 21.9 times higher for the Native Hawaiians. Substantial ethnic heterogeneity and rising prevalence underscore the need for increased monitoring of obesity and obesity-related risk factors among API subgroups.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Trends in obesity and overweight prevalence (%) among the Asian/Pacific Islanders (API), the non-Hispanic whites, and the total US population aged 18+, 1992–2011.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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