Journal of Public Health (United Kingdom)
Volume 40, Issue 2, 2018, Pages 262-270

Overweight and abdominal obesity in women of childbearing age of Russian, Somali and Kurdish origin and the general Finnish population (Article) (Open Access)

Kinnunen T.I.* , Skogberg N. , Härkänen T. , Lundqvist A. , Laatikainen T. , Koponen P.
  • a Faculty of Social Sciences/Health Sciences, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland
  • b Department of Welfare, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland
  • c Department of Public Health Solutions, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland
  • d Department of Public Health Solutions, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland
  • e Department of Public Health Solutions, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland, Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland, Primary Health Care Unit, Hospital District of North Karelia, Joensuu, Finland
  • f Department of Public Health Solutions, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland

Abstract

Background Migrant background and higher parity may increase the risk of being overweight. We compared the prevalence of overweight (body mass index ≥25 kg/m 2) and abdominal obesity (waist-to-height ratio ≥0.5) between non-pregnant migrant and Finnish women aged 18-45 years. Methods The participants were 165 Russian, 164 Somali and 179 Kurdish origin women from the cross-sectional Migrant Health and Wellbeing study. The reference group included 388 women from the general Finnish population. Body anthropometrics were measured. The main statistical methods were logistic regression adjusted for sociodemographic and reproductive variables. Results The unadjusted prevalence of overweight and obesity, respectively, were higher among Somali (32.9%, 30.9%, P < 0.001) and Kurdish women (41.1%, 19.5%, P < 0.001) than among Finnish women (19.9%, 9.8%). The adjusted odds ratios (95% CI) for overweight (including obesity) were 0.54 (0.33; 0.89) for Russian, 2.89 (1.66; 5.03) for Somali and 2.56 (1.64; 4.00) for Kurdish women compared with Finnish women. Kurdish women had 2.96-fold (1.75; 5.00) adjusted odds ratio for abdominal obesity compared with Finnish women. Being parous was associated with overweight and abdominal obesity among Kurdish women. Conclusions Overweight and obesity were very common among Somali and Kurdish origin women. Information on diet and physical activity in these groups is needed. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved.

Author Keywords

Women childbearing age migrant waist circumference overweight

Index Keywords

Russia Finland human abdominal obesity Obesity, Abdominal middle aged Overweight obesity Iraq ethnology Iran Cross-Sectional Studies Young Adult cross-sectional study Humans Adolescent female adult migration Somalia Transients and Migrants Russian Federation
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85045387512&doi=10.1093%2fpubmed%2ffdx053&partnerID=40&md5=224697fb272b9d3177e2aa28652f359a
DOI: 10.1093/pubmed/fdx053
ISSN: 17413842
Cited by: 4
Original Language: English