Length of residence and obesity among immigrants in Spain

Abstract

Objective: Various studies in the USA and Canada have consistently shown a positive association between length of residence of immigrants and obesity. Studies in European countries have obtained less consistent results. The present work assesses the influence of length of residence on the frequency of obesity in immigrants in the city of Madrid, Spain. Design: We studied a sample of 7155 persons aged 18 years and over residing in the city of Madrid, who were was surveyed between November 2004 and May 2005. Information was collected on immigrant status (country of birth), length of residence in Spain, obesity, sociodemographic characteristics and lifestyle. Results: Compared with the Spanish population, the odds for obesity in the immigrant population by length of residence was less than one in all groups, becoming closer to one with increasing time of residence (OR 5 0?67, 0?73 and 0?81 for immigrants with less than 2, 2-4 and 5-9 years of residence in Spain, respectively), up to 10 or more years of residence, when it declined (OR 5 0?69). The magnitude of this association was considerably reduced after adjusting for sociodemographic variables and for perceived health, but was not further modified after adjusting for lifestyle variables. Conclusions: Length of residence of immigrants in the city of Madrid is not associated with the frequency of obesity. It is possible that the circumstances immigrants encounter after arriving in Spain do not involve an overexposure to factors favouring obesity, relative to those they bring with them.

The impact of migration on body weight: a review

“…The variable length of residence in the host country was always defined using an interval scale, generally divided into recent (< 5 years) and long-term (> 15 years). Eleven 13,17,20,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35 studies included all immigrant groups resident in the host country. Five studies 17,28,32,36,37 showed the increase in length of residence in the host country but did not stratify the results by immigrant group.…”

“…Eleven 13,17,20,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35 studies included all immigrant groups resident in the host country. Five studies 17,28,32,36,37 showed the increase in length of residence in the host country but did not stratify the results by immigrant group. Another study 28 presented results by region of origin, concluding 44 Norway 2 2 1 0 1 ↑↑↑ * 0: non-randomized/convenience sampling; 1: randomized sampling (not national-based); 2: randomized sampling (national-based); ** 0: < 385 cases; 1: 385-1,000 cases; 2: > 1,000 cases; *** 0: Criteria not met (e.g.…”

“…Saúde Pública, Rio de Janeiro, 31(2):229-245, fev, 2015 38 reported that among males BMI was significantly in long-term immigrants (resident for ≥ 15 years) than among shortterm immigrants (< 5 years), while among females BMI was significantly higher in all length of residence categories (5 to 9 years; 10 to 14 years; ≥ 15 years) than in the short-term category 32 .…”

Obesity Inequalities According to Place of Birth: The Role of Education

“…The independent variable was place of birth categorized as native for those born in Spain, and immigrants for those born in a country with non-very high HDI in 2015 (Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia). In addition, educational attainment was considered as an effect measure modifier and was categorized as primary education or less, secondary and graduate or higher education [25]. …”

“…Most immigrants are coming from Latin America (38%; mainly from Ecuador, Colombia, Peru and Bolivia) Maghreb (14%; mainly from Morocco), sub-Saharan Africa (4%; mainly Senegal and Nigeria), Asia (7%; mainly China) and the rest of non-very high developed European Union countries (10%; mainly Romania). However, and despite this trend as well as the importance of place of birth and the migratory process as determinants of inequality [10], few studies have focused on obesity inequalities between immigrant and native populations in Spain [25,26]. Furthermore, the immigrant population usually has a lower level of education than the native population [27].…”