A moving paradox: a binational view of obesity and residential mobility

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Metabolic Syndrome and Its Components in Latino Immigrants to the USA

The Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) is an increasingly prevalent condition globally. Latino populations in the USA have shown an alarming increase in factors associated with MetS in recent years. The objective of the present systematic review was to determine the prevalence of MetS and its risk factors in immigrant Latinos in the USA and perform a meta-analysis of those prevalence. The review included cross-sectional, cohort, or case−control studies involving adult immigrant Latinos in the USA, published during the period 1980−2020 in any language. Studies involving individuals who were pregnant, aged <18 years, immigrant non-Latinos, published outside the 1980−2020 period, or with other design types were excluded. The Pubmed, Web of Science, Embase, Lilacs, Scielo, and Google Scholar databases were searched. The risk of bias was assessed using the checklists of the Joanna Briggs Institute. The review included 60 studies, and the meta-analysis encompassed 52 studies. The pooled prevalence found for hypertension, diabetes, general obesity, and abdominal obesity were 28% (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 23−33%), 17% (95% CI: 14−20%), 37% (95% CI: 33−40%), and 54% (95% CI: 48−59%), respectively. The quality of the evidence of the primary studies was classified as low or very low. Few studies including immigrants from South America were identified. Further studies of those immigrants are needed due to the cultural, dietary, and language disparities among Latin American countries. The research protocol was registered with the Open Science Framework (OSF).

The Association of Residential Mobility With Weight-Related Health Behaviors

OBJECTIVE

To estimate associations of residential mobility with body mass index (BMI), physical activity, and diet and whether associations differ across demographics.

DESIGN

Longitudinal cohort with 4 waves of survey follow-up over 15 years.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

A total of 2,110 adolescents and young adults originally from the Twin Cities of Minnesota responded to at least 2 waves of follow-up, beginning at ages 15 to 23 years.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S)

Self-reported BMI, physical activity, fast food consumption, breakfast frequency, sugary drink consumption, fruit and vegetable consumption, and screen time.

ANALYSIS

Each outcome was modeled as a continuous variable using hierarchical linear regression. Residential mobility-change in residential address-was the main effect of interest. Models adjusted for demographics, marriage during follow-up, and previous level of the outcome. Inverse propensity weights accounted for loss to follow up.

RESULTS

No weight-related outcomes differed between movers and nonmovers in the whole sample. When examining effect modification by age, as participants aged, moving was increasingly associated with improvements in weight-related outcomes, particularly BMI.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Results suggest that moving may be associated with poorer weight-related outcomes during a brief window from late teens and early-20s and less associated with weight-related outcomes in the mid-20s and 30s.