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Immigrant Status, Acculturation and Risk of Overweight and Obesity in Adolescents Living in Madrid (Spain): The AFINOS Study

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Abstract

Prior studies have identified a link between length of residence and overweight (including obesity) in immigrant populations. However, this link has not been confirmed in Europe. This study compares overweight prevalences in native Spanish and immigrant adolescents living in the Madrid region (Spain), and whether length of residence affects the risk of immigrant adolescents being overweight. The study population was a representative sample of adolescents aged 13–17 years (n = 2,081, 1,055 girls) who lived in Madrid. Data were collected from November 2007 to February 2008 through a cross-sectional survey in which self-reported height and weight were used to calculate BMI. Overall, no significant difference was detected in overweight risk between the Spanish and immigrant adolescents. However, immigrant adolescents residing in Spain for 6 years or under did show a higher overweight risk than both the Spanish adolescents (OR 1.57) and immigrants who had lived in Spain for longer than 6 years (OR 1.98). Changes in lifestyle associated to a longer duration of residence in Spain seems to have a slightly protective effect on the risk of being overweight in immigrant adolescents.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the contribution of the adolescents and their parents who participated in this study. The AFINOS Study was supported by Grant DEP2006-56184-C03-01-02-03/PREV from the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science and co-funded by FEDER funds from the European Union.

Conflict of interest

None of them had any conflicts of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria, Madrid, Spain

    Laura Esteban-Gonzalo, Enrique Regidor, David Martínez & Maria Elisa Calle

  2. Department of Physical Education, Sport and Human Movement, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Óscar L. Veiga

  3. Immunonutrition Research Group, Department of Metabolism and Nutrition, Institute of Food Science, Technology and Nutrition (ICTAN), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Madrid, Spain

    Ascensión Marcos

Authors
  1. Laura Esteban-Gonzalo
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  2. Óscar L. Veiga
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  3. Enrique Regidor
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  4. David Martínez
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  5. Ascensión Marcos
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  6. Maria Elisa Calle
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Laura Esteban-Gonzalo.

Additional information

AFINOS Study Group:

Coordinator: Marcos A

Main Investigators: Calle ME, Villagra A, Marcos A.

Sub-study 1: Calle ME, Regidor E, Martínez-Hernández D, Esteban-Gonzalo L. Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, E- 28040, Madrid, Spain; Sub-study 2: Villagra A, Veiga OL, del-Campo J, Moya JM, Martínez-Gómez D, Zapatera B. Department of Physical Education, Sport and Human Movement, Facultad de Formación del Profesorado y Educación, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, E-28049, Madrid, Spain; Sub-study 3: Marcos A, Gómez-Martínez S, Nova E, Wärnberg J, Romeo J, Diaz LE, Pozo T, Puertollano MA, Martínez-Gómez D, Zapatera B, Veses A. Immunonutrition Research Group, Department of Metabolism and Nutrition, Institute of Food Science, Technology and Nutrition (ICTAN), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), E-28040, Madrid, Spain.

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Esteban-Gonzalo, L., Veiga, Ó.L., Regidor, E. et al. Immigrant Status, Acculturation and Risk of Overweight and Obesity in Adolescents Living in Madrid (Spain): The AFINOS Study. J Immigrant Minority Health 17, 367–374 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-013-9933-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-013-9933-2

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