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Body Weight and Length of Residence in the US Among Chinese Americans

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Abstract

Background It has been shown that as immigrants’ length of residence increases, so does their weight. However, little is known about factors associated with weight status among Chinese Americans, one of the fastest growing immigrant populations in the US. Methods Baseline data from a National Cancer Institute-funded longitudinal study involving a multi-stage probability sample of Chinese Americans residing in two communities in New York City were collected. Results Chinese Americans had a low BMI (mean = 22.81) and a lower proportion of obese individuals compared with other ethnic groups in the US reported in the literature. While the prevalence of being overweight (21%) and obese (2%) was low, length of residence was positively associated with weight status (P < 0.005). Conclusions Innovative strategies to help Chinese Americans maintain healthy weight status and to prevent them from becoming overweight and obese are needed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Urban Public Health Program, School of Health Sciences, Hunter College, City University of New York, 425 East 25th Street, New York, NY, 10010, USA

    Ming-Chin Yeh, Marianne Fahs & Dee Burton

  2. Brookdale Center for Healthy Aging and Longevity, Hunter College, City University of New York, 425 East 25th Street, New York, NY, 10010, USA

    Marianne Fahs, Rajeev Yerneni & Nina S. Parikh

  3. Department of Comprehensive Care, New York University College of Dentistry, 423 East 23rd Street, New York, NY, 10010, USA

    Donna Shelley

Authors
  1. Ming-Chin Yeh
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  2. Marianne Fahs
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  3. Donna Shelley
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  4. Rajeev Yerneni
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  5. Nina S. Parikh
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  6. Dee Burton
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Correspondence to Ming-Chin Yeh.

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Yeh, MC., Fahs, M., Shelley, D. et al. Body Weight and Length of Residence in the US Among Chinese Americans. J Immigrant Minority Health 11, 422–427 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-007-9113-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-007-9113-3

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