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Nativity, US Length of Residence, and BMI Among Diverse Asian American Ethnic Groups

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Abstract

Little is known about body mass index (BMI) patterns by nativity and length of US residence among Asian American ethnic groups. We used linear regression to examine the association of BMI with nativity and length of residence across six ethnic groups (Filipinos, Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, South Asians, and Vietnamese) using data from the California Health Interview Study. There was significant heterogeneity in the nativity/length of residence patterns in unadjusted BMI across ethnic groups (p < 0.001). In fully adjusted models, heterogeneity was attenuated (p = 0.05) with BMI among all US-born ethnic groups significantly higher than BMI for immigrants with the exception of South Asians. Longer US residence was positively associated with BMI among all groups, though only significant among Filipinos and Koreans. Programs targeting Asian Americans should take into consideration BMI patterns by nativity and US length of residence among diverse Asian American ethnic groups.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by funding from the Kellogg Health Scholars Program and support from the Kaiser Permanente’s Chris Burch Minority Leadership Program provided to Dr. Sanchez-Vaznaugh. The authors retain full responsibility for the content of this article, and acknowledge the content does necessarily represent the official views of the aforementioned funders. LGR, EVSV, and BSN declare no financial competing interests. The authors thank Dr. Dolly John, Harvard School of Public Health for providing critical review and feedback on earlier versions of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Program on Prevention Outcomes and Practices, Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford University, 1070 Arastradero Road, Suite 100, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA

    Lisa G. Rosas

  2. Department of Health Education, San Francisco State University, Center on Social Disparities in Health, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Emma V. Sanchez-Vaznaugh

  3. Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Brisa N. Sánchez

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  1. Lisa G. Rosas
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Correspondence to Lisa G. Rosas.

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Rosas, L.G., Sanchez-Vaznaugh, E.V. & Sánchez, B.N. Nativity, US Length of Residence, and BMI Among Diverse Asian American Ethnic Groups. J Immigrant Minority Health 17, 1496–1503 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-014-0096-6

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