In the USA, “the longer you stay, the bigger you get,” researchers say

January 26, 2005

In the USA, " the longer you stay, the bigger you get, " researchers say

Posted Sept. 7, 2004

Special to World Science

It's well known that Americans are among the world's fattest people.

Now, new research suggests foreigners living in the United States also

quickly start putting on weight – and the longer they stay, the bigger

they get.

At least, researchers found that this was the case for 174 low-income

immigrant women living in Hartford, Conn.

Although the sample size was relatively small and restricted to one

ethnic group, the findings seem to fit a growing pattern. Several

other studies have also shown that people " often experience weight

gain when they migrate to new countries where the prevalence of

overweight and obesity is high, " the scientists wrote in a report of

the new study, published in the September issue of the American

Journal of Physical Anthropology.

Among the Hartford women, 29 percent of those who had lived in the

United States for one year or less were obese, the researchers found.

By contrast, 40 percent of those who had lived in the United States

for 10 years or more were obese. The researchers said they included

only Puerto Ricans in the study, not in order to single out this group

but to make the results statistically more reliable.

The research team, headed by David Himmelgreen of the University of

South Florida, wrote that " as new immigrants acculturate, they begin

to adopt the cultural practices of the larger and more dominant group,

including food consumption and physical activity patterns. "

Consistent with this, the team also found that immigrants who spoke

English better tended to be more overweight.

" Research is needed to more adequately define the process of

acculturation and how it affects food habits, food consumption, and

physical activity patterns, " the scientists wrote.

This research could then be used to design better-targeted, more

culturally aware public health programs to help people maintain

healthy weight and exercise levels, they added. Researchers at the

University of Connecticut and the Hispanic Health Council, a community

organization, also took part in the study.

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