During the past decade, obesity has substantially increased in Korea, and this is leading to dramatic increases in complications such as type 2 diabetes. In this review, we discuss the past and the current situation of obesity in Korea based on the national health and nutrition surveys of 1995, 1998, and 2001. Because Korea is geographically isolated with relatively few migrants and has a low level of genetic heterogeneity, this report demonstrates the impact of environmental factors on the development of obesity beyond epidemiological information about one of the Asian countries. The third national health and nutrition survey reported in 2001 announced that the overall prevalence of obesity [body mass index (BMI) > or = 25.0 kg m(-2)] in Korean adults is 30.6% (32.4% in men and 29.4% in women). The prevalence of obesity in adults and children has increased rapidly from 1990s through the beginning of the new millennium and is steadily increasing in parallel with our rapid socio-economic progress. In particular, special attention should be paid to two groups in hormonal transition: first, middle-aged men and women who experience a great increase in body weight, BMI and waist circumference because of andropause or menopause, and second, adolescents in middle to high school who are preparing for qualification or entrance examinations and are prone to overnutrition or nutritional imbalance and physical inactivity.

Purpose To examine the association between waist circumference (WC) and body mass index (BMI) on disability among older adults from Latin America and the Caribbean. Methods Cross-sectional, multicenter city study of 5,786 subjects aged 65 years and older from the Health, Well-Being and Aging in Latin America and the Caribbean Study (SABE) (1999-2000). Sociodemographic variables, smoking status, medical conditions, BMI, WC, and activities of daily living (ADL) were obtained. Results Prevalence of high WC (>88 cm) in women ranged from 48.5% (Havana) to 72.7% (Mexico City), while among men (>102 cm) it ranged from 12.5% (Bridgetown) to 32.5% (Santiago). The associations between WC and ADL disability were “J” shaped, with higher risks of ADL disability observed above 110 cm for women in Bridgetown, Santiago, Havana, and Montevideo. The association in Sao Paulo is plateau with higher risk above 100 cm, and the association in Mexico City is closer to linear. Among men the associations were “U” (Bridgetown, Sao Paulo, and Havana), “J” shaped (Montevideo), plateau (Santiago), and closer to linear in Mexico City (Figure 3). When WC and BMI were analyzed together, we found that participants from Sao Paolo, Santiago, Havana, and Montevideo in the overweight or obese category with high WC were significantly more likely to report ADL disability after adjusting for all covariates. Conclusion The findings of this study suggests that both general and abdominal adiposity are associated with disability and support the use of WC in addition to BMI to assess risk of disability in older adults.

ObjectivesObesity is one of the most serious health problems in the world today. Asian Americans are usually less overweight and obese than African Americans and Hispanic Americans, but the rate of obesity in Asian Americans is still increasing, especially in younger generations. This research examines Asian American obesity using existing research, as a means of finding the need for greater emphasis on Asian American obesity intervention research.MethodsIn this research literature review, Asian American obesity using existing research as a means of finding the need for greater emphasis on Asian American obesity intervention research is examined. A systematic review is done in order to find Asian American obesity research, due to the minimal amount of existing studies. In total, there were only nine papers which were not duplicates and which still met the criteria for inclusion, from an initial 106 papers.ResultsThere is very little research on obesity in Asian Americans. Although the rate of obesity among Asian Americans is increasing, there are few related articles, projects, and surveys, and there is little information. There is a need for more specific and in-depth analysis of Asian American obesity. Asian Americans are associated with a lower waist circumference (WC) and BMI, while Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders are associated with a higher WC and BMI. Typically, Asian Americans who were born in the United States (US) tend to be overweight and more obese than those born in foreign countries.ConclusionBased on this literature review, it is concluded that there is a shortage of Asian American obesity research, even though there is an evident need for particular obesity intervention programs that target Asian Americans.

Background/Objectives Although older Mexican Americans are a rapidly growing segment of the U.S population, with high rates of disability, there is presently little research examining nativity and sex differences in activities of daily living (ADL) and mobility limitations in older Mexican Americans compared to general studies of the older population. This study examined the effect of nativity and sex on ADL and mobility limitations in older Mexican Americans. Design, Setting, Participants, Measurements 2,069 non-institutionalized Mexican American aged 75 years and older from the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiological Study of the Elderly (Hispanic EPESE) (2004-2005). Socio-demographics, self-reported medical conditions (arthritis, cancer, diabetes, stroke, heart attack, and hip fracture), ADLs, and gross mobility function were obtained. Results Out of 2069, 56.3% were US-born and 43.7% were Mexico-born. The prevalence of ADL and mobility limitation in both US-born and Mexico-born was 32.9% vs. 33.9% and 56.6% vs. 55.6%, respectively. Compared to US-born subjects, Mexico-born tend to report less ADL limitation (OR=0.79; CI: 0.59- 1.05) after controlling for socio-demographic variables and medical conditions. Similarly, they were less likely to report mobility limitation (OR=0.64; CI: 0.48- 0.86) after controlling for all covariates. There was a significant interaction effect between nativity and sex (OR=0.42; CI=0.24-0.74) on ADL limitation suggesting that Mexico-born men were less disabled than US-born while the opposite was true for women. No significant interaction between nativity and sex was found for mobility limitation. Conclusion We found that Mexico-born men were less disabled than US-born counterparts. However, Mexico-born women were more likely to report disability than Mexico-born men.

AIM To assess the efficacy in mortality prediction of a concordance of performance-based (timed 10-foot walk {POMA}) and self-rated (reported ability to walk across a small room with no help from people or devices {ADL}) assessments of mobility for Mexican Americans aged 75 and over. Methods Longitudinal study of 2069 subjects aged 75 years and older from the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiological Study of the Elderly (EPESE) Wave 5 (2004–06 ~ 2006–01) and Wave 6 (2007–02 ~ 2008–02). Sociodemographic variables, performance-based (timed 10-foot walk) and self-rated assessments (reported ability to walk across a small room without any people or device’s help) of mobility, and mortality data were obtained. Results The ADL/POMA concordance assessment revealed a prevalence of the “positively concordant” group (completed the walk and reported being able to walk, ADL and POMA both positive), followed by the “pessimist,” “optimist,” and “negatively concordant” groups at 80.09%, 10.50%, 3.78%, and 5.63% respectively. Logistic regression analyses showed that “negatively concordant” was a critical mortality predictor (OR=4.80; 95% CI =2.59 – 8.90) followed by “pessimist” (OR=1.94; 95% CI=1.12 – 3.36) as compared to the reference group, “positively concordant.” Conclusion The ADL/POMA concordance is an effective predictor of mortality for older Mexican Americans in the Hispanic EPESE.

Aim The objective of this research is to investigate the effect of lower body function on mortality over 13 years of follow-up study. Methods Data from the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiological Study of the Elderly (Hispanic EPESE) were used, and the Cox proportional hazard model of mortality on age gender, education, BMI, CES-D, MMSE, any ADL, walk score, and SPPB was applied. Results Results showed lower body function to be a strong predictor of mortality over 13 years, as indicated by walk and SPPB scores as well as any ADL, depression, and cognitive function. Moreover, overweight or obese participants tended to live significantly longer over the long term. Conclusions Lower body function significantly impacts mortality at 2, 7, and 13 years of follow-up study, but this association decreases in magnitude over time.

The purpose of this review is to conduct a concise review of the literature to evaluate the knowledge, awareness, and medical practice of Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders (API) supporting the relationship of chronic hepatitis B infection. Liver cancer is the fifth most common cause of cancer death in men and the ninth most common cause of death in women in the United States. On average, Asian Americans are three times more likely to die from liver cancer than other racial/ethnic groups, with Chinese Americans at six times, Koreans eight times and Vietnamese 13 times higher than non-Hispanic Whites. In the United States, about 80% of liver cancer is etiologically associated with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (API) account for over half of the 1.3 million chronic hepatitis B cases and for over half of the deaths resulting from chronic hepatitis B infection. Relevant studies were identified in PubMed (Medline) using the following search structure: (Hepatitis B or synonyms) AND (liver cancer or synonyms) AND (Asian Americans or synonyms). Further studies were identified by citations in retrieved papers and by consultation with experts. Twenty publications were included in this review. Compared to other racial/ethnic groups, Asians, especially those born in China or Southeast Asia, have significantly poorer knowledge regarding hepatitis B and liver cancer. Knowledge, awareness and medical practice among Asian Americans regarding HBV infection were dependent upon age, gender, race/ethnicity, immigrant status and length of residency. Despite increased risk for chronic hepatitis B and liver cancer, many Asian Americans are uninformed, untested, and unprotected against the disease.

Objectives:The objectives of this paper are to examine the effects of religion and obesity on health and determine how the relationship varies by racial/ethnic groups with data from the Panel Study of American Race and Ethnicity (PS-ARE).Methods:Using ordinal logistic regression, the effects of religion and obesity on self-rated health and how the relationship varies by racial/ethnic groups are investigated. Additionally, to determine whether certain ethnic groups are more impacted by the frequency of religious attendance and obesity, whites, blacks, and Hispanics are analyzed separately with ordinal logistic regression.Results:When obesity was added in focal relationship between religious services attendance and self-rated health strengthened this focal relationship which is a suppression effect between religious services attending and self-rated health adding obesity. For BMI is also significantly associated with decreased odds of reporting better health–normal weight (OR = 2.99; 95% CI = 2.43–3.67) and overweight (OR = 2.19; 95% CI = 1.79–2.68) compared to obese. Subjects who attend religious services 1–2 time a year (OR = 1.30; 95% CI = 1.04–1.62) and 1–3 times a month (OR = 1.28; 95% CI = 1.05–1.57) are associated with increased odds of reporting better health. In whites, attending religious services 1–2 times a year are associated with increased odds of reporting better health (OR = 1.48; 95% CI = 1.09–2.00) and 1–3 times a month are also associated with increased odds of reporting health (OR = 1.34; 95% CI = 1.02–1.78) compared to never attending religious attendance. The frequency of religious services attendance of blacks and Hispanics are not associated with self-rated health. For BMI, being white is more positively associated with increased odds of reporting better health than black and Hispanic subjects. Although white subjects are less likely to attend religious services more frequently than black and Hispanic subjects, the influence on self-rated health in white subjects is more evidenced than other racial/ethnic groups.Conclusions:Although it was not proven that the association between participation in religious services and self-rated health is mediated by obesity, the research shows the suppression effect of obesity between participation in religious services and self-rated health.