Differential associations between psychosocial stress and obesity among Ghanaians in Europe and in Ghana: findings from the RODAM study

Abstract

Purpose Psychosocial stress is associated with obesity in some populations, but it is unclear whether the association is related to migration. This study explored associations between psychosocial stress and obesity among Ghanaian migrants in Europe and non-migrant Ghanaians in Ghana. Methods Cross-sectional data from the RODAM study were used, including 5898 Ghanaians residing in Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, rural Ghana, and urban Ghana. Perceived discrimination, negative life events and stress at work or at home were examined in relation to body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC). Linear regression analyses were performed separately for migrants and non-migrants stratified by sex. Results Perceived discrimination was not associated with BMI and WC in both migrants and non-migrants. However, negative life events were positively associated with BMI (β = 0.78, 95% CI 0.34-1.22) and WC (β = 1.96, 95% CI 0.79-3.12) among male Ghanaian migrants. Similarly, stress at work or at home was positively associated with BMI (β = 0.28, 95% CI 0.00-0.56) and WC (β = 0.84, 95% CI 0.05-1.63) among male Ghanaian migrants. Among non-migrant Ghanaians, in contrast, stress at work or at home was inversely associated with BMI and WC in both males (β = − 0.66, 95% CI − 1.03 to − 0.28; β = − 1.71 95% CI − 2.69 to − 0.73, respectively) and females (β = − 0.81, 95% CI − 1.20 to − 0.42; β = − 1.46, 95% CI − 2.30 to − 0.61, respectively). Conclusions Negative life events and stress at work or at home are associated with increased body weight among male Ghanaians in European settings, whereas stress at work or at home is associated with reduced body weight among Ghanaians in Ghana. More work is needed to understand the underlying factors driving these differential associations to assist prevention efforts.

Higher Academic Stress Was Associated with Increased Risk of Overweight and Obesity among College Students in China

“…The current study also suggested that a higher incidence and impact of negative learning events may contribute to the likelihood of being overweight and obese. It is possible that people may perceive higher stress after negative events and trigger a stronger stress response which may explain the association [29]. Indeed, negative learning events such as exam failure and financial hardship were often dealt with by avoidance through unhealthy behaviors including overeating, drinking, and smoking more [30].…”

Sleep and Economic Status Are Linked to Daily Life Stress in African-Born Blacks Living in America

“…Initiated in 2000, data from 46 countries across the economic spectrum were accessed and questions about stress were included [ 11 , 12 ]. The stress survey used in the INTER-HEART study has been widely administered including in studies of African immigrants [ 13 , 14 ]. However, the INTER-HEART study does not distinguish between daily life stress and chronic stress.…”

“…However, the INTER-HEART study does not distinguish between daily life stress and chronic stress. Allowable answers to queries about stress related to work, home and finances are: “never”, “some of the time”, “permanent” or “in the past 12 months” [ 12 , 13 , 14 ]. Therefore, events or circumstances related to daily life stress are subsumed within longer time intervals.…”

“…To our knowledge PSS and PSQI have not been administered simultaneously in other African immigrant cohorts such as the Afro-Cardiac Study [ 18 ], the African Immigrant Health Study [ 19 ], Research on Obesity and Diabetes in African Migrants (RODAM) [ 13 , 14 , 20 , 21 ], and the Africans in America study [ 2 , 22 , 23 , 24 ]. The Afro-Cardiac Study [ 18 ] revealed that cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in West Africans living in the Baltimore-Washington area depends on degree of acculturation and duration of United States residence.…”

Ethnic discrimination and weight outcomes among Latinx emerging adults: Examinations of an individual-level mediator and cultural moderators.

“…Factors contributing to increased risk of obesity are complex, ranging from biological (e.g., genetics, disease, medication side effects) to structural (e.g., access to healthy food, parks, gyms; Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, 2017; Hu, 2008). One important factor that is associated consistently with obesity among racial/ethnic minorities in the United States, including Latinxs, is the experience of discrimination (Baratin et al, 2020; Hunte, 2011; Kwarteng et al, 2016). However, to our knowledge, few studies have investigated the association between discrimination and obesity among Latinx emerging adults.…”