Immigrants who have lived in the United States for at least 15 years are nearly as obese as US-born adults, Journal of American Medical Association says.
Over 127 million American adults are overweight and almost 70 million are obese or severely obese. Immigrants are the fastest growing segment of Americans, comprising more than 11% of the total US population.
Immigrants generally originate from countries where prevalence of obesity is lower than that in the United States, but living in the US makes them obese, said the study by researchers at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and brought out in an article in the December 15 issue of JAMA.
The investigators surveyed 32,400 eligible people and found the proportion of overweight and obese foreign-born individuals increased with longer residence in the US.
After less than a year in the United States, the prevalence of obesity among foreign-born persons was 8%. In those staying for at least 15 years, 38% were overweight and 19% obese.