Objective To determine if the association between soda consumption and obesity is uniform among Asian-American population subgroups. Design We conducted multivariate logistic regression analyses on odds of being obese among seven Asian subgroups and by place of birth using data from the 2009 California Health Interview Survey. Setting An omnibus population-based health survey. Subjects Non-institutionalized adults, aged 18 years or over, residing in California (n 36 271). Results Despite low levels of soda consumption in several Asian-American ethnic groups, soda consumption increased the odds of being obese among Chinese, Koreans and Other Asians but not for Whites. Obesity risk varied across Asian subgroups and by place of birth within these subgroups. Conclusions More public health efforts addressing soda consumption in Asian-American communities are needed as a strategy for not only preventing chronic diseases but also disparities, considering the varying levels of soda intake across subgroups. Results support the growing body of literature critiquing acculturation theory in immigrant health research by documenting inconsistent findings by place of birth. Future research should take into account the heterogeneity among Asian Americans to advance our understanding of health outcomes and disparities. Copyright © The Authors 2017.

Soda Asian Obesity Acculturation

Caucasian demography human epidemiology middle aged obesity Logistic Models Health Surveys chronic disease ethnology Residence Characteristics Cross-Sectional Studies cross-sectional study migrant Humans classification California Asian Americans male Emigrants and Immigrants Acculturation Asian American Socioeconomic Factors female socioeconomics carbonated beverage cultural factor adult European Continental Ancestry Group statistical model Carbonated Beverages public health health survey