Duration of U.S. stay and body mass index among Latino and Asian immigrants: A test of theoretical pathways

Abstract

Studies find that longer-term immigrants have higher body mass index (BMI) than their more recently-arrived counterparts. Most interpretations of these health patterns by duration of U.S. residence rely on theories of immigrant integration; they posit that with increasing time in the United States, immigrants incorporate economically, socially, and culturally into aspects of U.S. society, and that these changes impact health. Few studies empirically examine whether these aspects of integration are indeed mediators of the association between duration of U.S. stay and BMI, and if their patterns differ across immigrant subgroups. This study examines data from the National Latino and Asian American Survey, using path analytic methods to simultaneously test six hypothesized mediators between duration and BMI: household income, English language ability, ethnic identity, family cohesion, acculturative stress and discrimination for both Latino and Asian immigrants, stratified by gender. We find little evidence for an association between duration and BMI for either Latino or Asian men. For women, duration and BMI have a significant and positive relationship, although the pathways differ between the two ethnic groups.For Latina women, household income and acculturative stress are significant indirect pathways, although they work in opposing directions. For Asian women, English proficiency and discrimination are significant indirect pathways. Our findings reveal complex pathways between duration and BMI that vary by ethnicity and gender and highlight limitations in the negative acculturation theory, which suggests that exposure to the United States should have a net negative impact on health. In contrast, our findings suggest not all groups show declining health with longer duration, as measured by BMI, and that integration processes do not always translate into health differences in the expected directions. Future research on duration patterns may need to consider alternative explanations beyond incorporation-based processes, such as cross-national health theories or age, period, cohort effects.3

Prognostic significance of marital status in breast cancer survival: A population-based study

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Health differentials between citizens and immigrants in Europe: A heterogeneous convergence

“…Antecol and Bedard [3] show that immigrants have a lower bodymass index (BMI) upon arrival, but that they converge to that of the Americans as the length of stay increases. This relationship between BMI and duration of residence varies by gender and ethnicity [21], and by arrival cohorts, with more recent immigrant cohorts being more likely to be obese upon arrival and to experience a faster unhealthy convergence [22]. Other recent studies show that social norms in both the host country and the country of origin influence immigrants' health behaviors.…”

Overweight and Obesity among Russian, Somali, and Kurdish Origin Populations in Finland

“…Several studies have demonstrated that the prevalence of overweight and obesity tends to be higher among migrant origin populations than the general population in the country of migration (Gele and Mbalilaki 2013;Oza-Frank and Cunningham 2010;Sussner et al 2008). Previous studies also indicate that prevalence of overweight and obesity among migrants increases with longer length of stay in the host country (Ro and Bostean 2015;Singh et al 2011).…”