European Journal of Epidemiology
Volume 19, Issue 11, 2004, Pages 1005-1010

Country of birth and body mass index: A national study of 2,000 immigrants in Sweden (Article)

Wändeil P.E.* , Ponzer S. , Johansson S.-E. , Sundquist K. , Sundquist J.
  • a Family Medicine Stockholm, Karolinska Institutet, Alfred Nobels allé 12, SE-141 83 Huddinge, Sweden
  • b Department of Orthopaedics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm Söder Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
  • c Family Medicine Stockholm, Karolinska Institutet, Alfred Nobels allé 12, SE-141 83 Huddinge, Sweden
  • d Family Medicine Stockholm, Karolinska Institutet, Alfred Nobels allé 12, SE-141 83 Huddinge, Sweden
  • e Family Medicine Stockholm, Karolinska Institutet, Alfred Nobels allé 12, SE-141 83 Huddinge, Sweden

Abstract

The aim of this study is to analyse the influence of country of birth on body mass index (BMI) after adjustment for age, educational status, physical activity and smoking habits. Two random samples of men and women, aged 27-60, were used: 1,957 immigrants and 2,975 Swedes, both from 1996. Men and women were analysed in separate models by the use of linear regression. The BMI levels were significantly higher among Polish (0.8 BMI units) and Chilean (0.7 BMI units) men, and Chilean (1.9 BMI units) and Turkish (1.5 BMI units) women than among their Swedish controls, after adjustment for all explanatory variables. Other intermediate risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as physical inactivity and daily smoking, were also more frequent among almost all the immigrant subgroups. This study shows a strong influence of country of birth on BMI even after adjustment for age, educational status, physical activity and smoking habits.

Author Keywords

country of birth BMI physical activity Survey

Index Keywords

education physical activity birth immigrant educational status cardiovascular risk exercise human Immobilization middle aged Poland controlled study Sweden Humans smoking male female Socioeconomic Factors risk factor socioeconomics linear regression analysis Article major clinical study adult Turkey Chile age distribution Emigration and Immigration Linear Models body mass Body Mass Index smoking habit
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-12444326155&doi=10.1007%2fs10654-004-0159-4&partnerID=40&md5=ce5769c7ecb442ab7881405a5f57f6a6
DOI: 10.1007/s10654-004-0159-4
ISSN: 03932990
Cited by: 34
Original Language: English