Duration of US Residence and Obesity Risk in NYC Chinese Immigrants

Abstract

We evaluated whether duration of time in the US is associated with obesity risk in NYC Chinese immigrants. We analyzed cross-sectional survey data on 2072 men and women. Duration of US residence was categorized into ≤5, 6-15, and 15 years and over. Obesity was defined using WHO Asian standards: BMI of 27.5 kg/m(2) or greater. Diet and physical activity (PA) were assessed as potential explanatory variables. After adjusting for covariates, increased time in the US was associated with an increased obesity risk (OR 1.49; 95 % CI 1.06, 2.08 for 15 years or more vs. ≤5 years); and in separate analysis, with having reported no work related PA (OR 0.76; 95 % CI 0.59, 0.99). Findings suggest that increased time living in the US is associated with an increased obesity risk, a finding possibly explained by a shift to more sedentary lifestyle characteristic of the transition of immigrants to the US.