Large experimental diabetes prevention/control studies of dietary and exercise interventions are lacking particularly those that consider quality rather than quantity of carbohydrates and alternative exercise.

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/m2 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.

We examined the association between years living in the US and overweight risk among a community sample of Filipino adult immigrants living in the New York (NY) metropolitan area. We found a significant and adverse association between years living in the US and overweight risk. Compared to Filipinos who lived in the US less than 5 years, those who lived in the US 10 years or longer had a higher overweight risk; this association was only present among Filipinos who migrated to NY metropolitan area at 30 years or younger. Studies on causal mechanisms explaining this pattern are needed.