Overweight and Obesity in Brazilian Immigrants in Massachusetts, USA: A Time Series Analysis (2009–2020)

Abstract

Introduction: Obesity is considered a growing public health problem by the Brazilian Ministry of Health and a global epidemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). In 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated the prevalence of adult obesity at 31.9% in the U.S. The U.S. is one of the main destinations for Brazilian immigrants in search of better living conditions, and Massachusetts is one of the states with the highest presence of Brazilians. Changes in lifestyle and eating habits are often associated with increases in overweight and obesity in immigrants in the U.S., especially Hispanics, an official classification that does not, however, include Brazilians. The aim of this study is to describe the temporal trend of overweight and obesity in Brazilian immigrants assisted by the Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) health care network in Massachusetts. Methods: Ecological time series study of 128,206 records of Brazilians aged between 18 and 60 years based on hospital data from 2009 to 2020. Results: Mean age was 38.9 (sd=10.6) and 61% of the sample were women. The prevalence of overweight and obesity were 38.4% and 25.4%, respectively. Obesity exhibited an increasing trend, while eutrophy and overweight decreased during the study period. Conclusion: As little is known about the health of Brazilian immigrants in the U.S., this study contributes to the literature on the subject. The observed increasing trends agree with the worldwide increase in obesity and indicate the need for future research exploring individual factors associated to immigrant acculturation.