Annals of Epidemiology
Volume 24, Issue 6, 2014, Pages 424-431

The immigration effect on obesity and overweight in Israeli Jewish male adolescents born 1970-1993 (Article)

Meydan C.* , Twig G. , Derazne E. , Tzur D. , Gordon B. , Shamiss A. , Afek A.
  • a Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Israel
  • b Department of Internal Medicine B, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel, Israeli Defense Forces Medical Corps, Ramat Gan, Israel, The Pinchas Borenstein Talpiot Medical Leadership Program, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel
  • c Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Israel, Israeli Defense Forces Medical Corps, Ramat Gan, Israel
  • d Israeli Defense Forces Medical Corps, Ramat Gan, Israel
  • e Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Israel, Israeli Defense Forces Medical Corps, Ramat Gan, Israel
  • f Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Israel, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel
  • g Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Israel, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel, Department of Management, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between age of arrival of male pediatric immigrant populations in Israel and their risk for subsequent high-weight morbidity at adolescence. Methods: The study analyzed a pooled cross section of 89,744 foreign-born male Jewish study participants, who were born in the former Soviet Union or Ethiopia (1970-1993) and immigrated in childhood to Israel. Each participant's body mass index was measured at approximately 17 years of age. Odds ratios were calculated for obesity and overweight according to age on arrival to Israel. A total of 52,503 Israel-born participants with origins in those same countries were measured at the same age and used as references. A total of 52,258 native Israelis without known immigrating ancestry were also used for comparison. The risk stratification accounted for possible socio-demographic confounders and birth year. Results: Foreign-born immigrants had decreased risk for obesity and overweight relative to Israeli-born immigrants when measured at the age of 17 years. However, those who arrived in Israel during infancy and early childhood (before the age of 3 years) had greater risk for high weight compared with those immigrating during late childhood and adolescence. Conclusions: Although generally protective against obesity and overweight relative to native, these beneficial effects of immigration are diminished for those arriving in early childhood rather than later in adolescence. © 2014 Elsevier Inc.

Author Keywords

Adolescent Emigration and immigration overweight Obesity

Index Keywords

immigrant cardiovascular risk Israel population demography Population Surveillance human immigration middle aged statistics and numerical data obesity priority journal health status USSR morbidity ethnology childhood Cross-Sectional Studies cross-sectional study migrant Humans Adolescent male Emigrants and Immigrants infancy risk factor Risk Factors Jew Jews adolescence prevalence Article Ethiopia major clinical study adult age distribution social class body mass Body Mass Index childhood obesity health survey
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84900796650&doi=10.1016%2fj.annepidem.2014.02.012&partnerID=40&md5=a7415a68c701c7db74997ddf19c7a55d
DOI: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2014.02.012
ISSN: 10472797
Cited by: 2
Original Language: English