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Byiringiro S, Koirala B, Ajibewa T, Broni EK, Liu X, Adeleye K, Turkson-Ocran RAN, Baptiste D, Ogungbe O, Himmelfarb CD, Gbaba S, Commodore-Mensah Y. Migration-Related Weight Changes among African Immigrants in the United States. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:15501. [PMID: 36497575 PMCID: PMC9735855 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192315501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
(1) Background: people who migrate from low-to high-income countries are at an increased risk of weight gain, and excess weight is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Few studies have quantified the changes in body mass index (BMI) pre- and post-migration among African immigrants. We assessed changes in BMI pre- and post-migration from Africa to the United States (US) and its associated risk factors. (2) Methods: we performed a cross-sectional analysis of the African Immigrant Health Study, which included African immigrants in the Baltimore-Washington District of the Columbia metropolitan area. BMI category change was the outcome of interest, categorized as healthy BMI change or maintenance, unhealthy BMI maintenance, and unhealthy BMI change. We explored the following potential factors of BMI change: sex, age at migration, percentage of life in the US, perceived stress, and reasons for migration. We performed multinomial logistic regression adjusting for employment, education, income, and marital status. (3) Results: we included 300 participants with a mean (±SD) current age of 47 (±11.4) years, and 56% were female. Overall, 14% of the participants had a healthy BMI change or maintenance, 22% had an unhealthy BMI maintenance, and 64% had an unhealthy BMI change. Each year of age at immigration was associated with a 7% higher relative risk of maintaining an unhealthy BMI (relative risk ratio [RRR]: 1.07; 95% CI 1.01, 1.14), and compared to men, females had two times the relative risk of unhealthy BMI maintenance (RRR: 2.67; 95% CI 1.02, 7.02). Spending 25% or more of life in the US was associated with a 3-fold higher risk of unhealthy BMI change (RRR: 2.78; 95% CI 1.1, 6.97). (4) Conclusions: the age at immigration, the reason for migration, and length of residence in the US could inform health promotion interventions that are targeted at preventing unhealthy weight gain among African immigrants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Byiringiro
- School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Binu Koirala
- School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Tiwaloluwa Ajibewa
- Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Eric K. Broni
- Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Baltimore, MD 21093, USA
| | - Xiaoyue Liu
- School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Khadijat Adeleye
- Elaine Marieb College of Nursing, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
| | | | - Diana Baptiste
- School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | | | | | - Serina Gbaba
- School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
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Roustaei Z, Räisänen S, Gissler M, Heinonen S. Socioeconomic differences in the association between maternal age and maternal obesity: a register-based study of 707,728 women in Finland. Scand J Public Health 2022:14034948221088003. [PMID: 35593408 DOI: 10.1177/14034948221088003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
AIMS To examine the association between maternal age and maternal obesity across socioeconomic groups and to determine whether socioeconomic status modifies the association between maternal age and maternal obesity with a view to informing public health policies. METHODS Data for this register-based study were sourced from the Finnish Medical Birth Register and Statistics Finland, using the information of 707,728 women who gave birth in Finland from 2004 to 2015. We used multivariable regression models to assess the association between maternal age and maternal obesity across socioeconomic groups. We further assessed interactions on both multiplicative and additive scales. RESULTS Across all socioeconomic groups, the adjusted odds ratio for the association between maternal age and maternal obesity increased, peaking for women 35 years or older. Using women below 20 years of age in the category of upper-level employees as a single reference group, in the category of upper-level employees, the adjusted odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals among women 35 years or older was 1.92 (1.39-2.64) for maternal obesity. Equally, the adjusted odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals in the category of long-term unemployed was 4.35 (3.16-5.98). Synergistic interactions on both multiplicative and additive scales were found across age and socioeconomic groups. CONCLUSIONS The association between maternal age and maternal obesity was strongest among women 35 years or older with lower socioeconomic status. Population-level interventions that address maternal risk factors from teenage years are needed alongside individual-level interventions that target high-risk mothers in areas of low socioeconomic status and maternal obesity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahra Roustaei
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sari Räisänen
- School of Health Care and Social Services, Tampere University of Applied Sciences, Tampere, Finland
| | - Mika Gissler
- Department of Knowledge Brokers, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Helsinki, Finland.,Academic Primary Health Care Centre, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Seppo Heinonen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
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