Overweight and Obesity in Brazilian Immigrants in Massachusetts, USA: A Time Series Analysis (2009-2020)

Introduction: Obesity is considered a growing public health problem by the Brazilian Ministry of Health and a global epidemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). In 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated the prevalence of adult obesity at 31.9% in the U.S. The U.S....

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Main Authors: Talita Monsores Paixão, Carlos Eduardo Gomes Siqueira, Elisa Tristan-Cheever, Frida Marina Fischer, Maria Carmen Martinez, Marcelo Augusto Christoffolete, Kirsten Meisinger, Liliane Reis Teixeira
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Karger Publishers 2023-01-01
Series:Obesity Facts
Online Access:https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/527286
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author Talita Monsores Paixão
Carlos Eduardo Gomes Siqueira
Elisa Tristan-Cheever
Frida Marina Fischer
Maria Carmen Martinez
Marcelo Augusto Christoffolete
Kirsten Meisinger
Liliane Reis Teixeira
author_facet Talita Monsores Paixão
Carlos Eduardo Gomes Siqueira
Elisa Tristan-Cheever
Frida Marina Fischer
Maria Carmen Martinez
Marcelo Augusto Christoffolete
Kirsten Meisinger
Liliane Reis Teixeira
author_sort Talita Monsores Paixão
collection DOAJ
description Introduction: Obesity is considered a growing public health problem by the Brazilian Ministry of Health and a global epidemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). In 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated the prevalence of adult obesity at 31.9% in the U.S. The U.S. is one of the main destinations for Brazilian immigrants in search of better living conditions, and Massachusetts is one of the states with the highest presence of Brazilians. Changes in lifestyle and eating habits are often associated with increases in overweight and obesity in immigrants in the U.S., especially Hispanics, an official classification that does not, however, include Brazilians. The aim of this study is to describe the temporal trend of overweight and obesity in Brazilian immigrants assisted by the Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) health care network in Massachusetts. Methods: Ecological time series study of 128,206 records of Brazilians aged between 18 and 60 years based on hospital data from 2009 to 2020. Results: Mean age was 38.9 (sd=10.6) and 61% of the sample were women. The prevalence of overweight and obesity were 38.4% and 25.4%, respectively. Obesity exhibited an increasing trend, while eutrophy and overweight decreased during the study period. Conclusion: As little is known about the health of Brazilian immigrants in the U.S., this study contributes to the literature on the subject. The observed increasing trends agree with the worldwide increase in obesity and indicate the need for future research exploring individual factors associated to immigrant acculturation.
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spelling doaj.art-af818e26887e4fbaae646c29b0af969d2023-02-09T15:14:03ZengKarger PublishersObesity Facts1662-40251662-40332023-01-0110.1159/000527286527286Overweight and Obesity in Brazilian Immigrants in Massachusetts, USA: A Time Series Analysis (2009-2020)Talita Monsores PaixãoCarlos Eduardo Gomes Siqueirahttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-8993-3031Elisa Tristan-Cheeverhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-2116-0153Frida Marina FischerMaria Carmen Martinezhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-4427-5976Marcelo Augusto ChristoffoleteKirsten MeisingerLiliane Reis TeixeiraIntroduction: Obesity is considered a growing public health problem by the Brazilian Ministry of Health and a global epidemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). In 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated the prevalence of adult obesity at 31.9% in the U.S. The U.S. is one of the main destinations for Brazilian immigrants in search of better living conditions, and Massachusetts is one of the states with the highest presence of Brazilians. Changes in lifestyle and eating habits are often associated with increases in overweight and obesity in immigrants in the U.S., especially Hispanics, an official classification that does not, however, include Brazilians. The aim of this study is to describe the temporal trend of overweight and obesity in Brazilian immigrants assisted by the Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) health care network in Massachusetts. Methods: Ecological time series study of 128,206 records of Brazilians aged between 18 and 60 years based on hospital data from 2009 to 2020. Results: Mean age was 38.9 (sd=10.6) and 61% of the sample were women. The prevalence of overweight and obesity were 38.4% and 25.4%, respectively. Obesity exhibited an increasing trend, while eutrophy and overweight decreased during the study period. Conclusion: As little is known about the health of Brazilian immigrants in the U.S., this study contributes to the literature on the subject. The observed increasing trends agree with the worldwide increase in obesity and indicate the need for future research exploring individual factors associated to immigrant acculturation.https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/527286
spellingShingle Talita Monsores Paixão
Carlos Eduardo Gomes Siqueira
Elisa Tristan-Cheever
Frida Marina Fischer
Maria Carmen Martinez
Marcelo Augusto Christoffolete
Kirsten Meisinger
Liliane Reis Teixeira
Overweight and Obesity in Brazilian Immigrants in Massachusetts, USA: A Time Series Analysis (2009-2020)
Obesity Facts
title Overweight and Obesity in Brazilian Immigrants in Massachusetts, USA: A Time Series Analysis (2009-2020)
title_full Overweight and Obesity in Brazilian Immigrants in Massachusetts, USA: A Time Series Analysis (2009-2020)
title_fullStr Overweight and Obesity in Brazilian Immigrants in Massachusetts, USA: A Time Series Analysis (2009-2020)
title_full_unstemmed Overweight and Obesity in Brazilian Immigrants in Massachusetts, USA: A Time Series Analysis (2009-2020)
title_short Overweight and Obesity in Brazilian Immigrants in Massachusetts, USA: A Time Series Analysis (2009-2020)
title_sort overweight and obesity in brazilian immigrants in massachusetts usa a time series analysis 2009 2020
url https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/527286
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