Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2013 Sep 5;8(9):e72983. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0072983. eCollection 2013.
Compared to whites, U.S. Hispanics have higher obesity rates; U.S. Asians have lower rates. However Hispanics and Asians are each comprised of several ethnic subgroups that differ with respect to country of origin, immigration history, and geographic distribution across the U.S. Among adolescents, ethnic differences in obesity have been previously reported, but no studies have examined longitudinal change in body mass index (BMI) by Hispanic and Asian subgroup category to understand when and why these disparities emerge, especially during the critical transition between adolescence and adulthood.
Using nationally-representative, longitudinal data from 1355 Hispanics (Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central/South American, Other Hispanic), 520 Asians (Chinese, Filipino, Other Asian), and 5061whites from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Waves II-IV: 1996-2009), we used linear mixed spline models to examine whether Hispanic and Asian adolescent subgroups shared the same BMI trajectories as whites as they aged into adulthood. We also investigated the role of social and behavioral factors in explaining race/ethnic differences.
Among Hispanics, Mexican and Puerto Rican-origin individuals exhibited faster increases in BMI both in adolescence and in adulthood and these patterns were not attributable to the measured social and behavioral factors. There was also evidence of emerging disparities in Cuban males, and in Central/South Americans relative to whites. In contrast, Chinese, Filipino, and Other Asian adolescents had significantly lower BMI and slower BMI increases in adulthood compared to whites. In models adjusted for social and behavioral factors, Chinese-white and Other Asian-white differentials remained unexplained.
Aggregate estimates of Hispanics and Asians mask important heterogeneity in BMI. A better understanding of weight dynamics early in the life course can inform how and when disparities emerge to better target prevention efforts.
与白人相比，美国西班牙裔人群的肥胖率较高；而美国亚裔人群的肥胖率较低。然而，西班牙裔和亚裔各自包含几个不同的种族群体，这些群体在原籍国、移民历史以及在美国的地理分布上存在差异。在青少年中，先前已经报道过肥胖方面的种族差异，但没有研究检查过西班牙裔和亚裔亚组类别的体重指数（BMI）的纵向变化，以了解这些差异何时以及为何出现，尤其是在青少年和成年之间的关键过渡期间。
使用来自全国代表性的、具有纵向数据的 1355 名西班牙裔人群（墨西哥裔、波多黎各裔、古巴裔、中/南美裔、其他西班牙裔）、520 名亚裔人群（华裔、菲律宾裔、其他亚裔）和 5061 名白人（来自全国青少年健康纵向研究）（Wave II-IV：1996-2009 年），我们使用线性混合样条模型来检查西班牙裔和亚裔青少年亚组与白人在成年期时是否具有相同的 BMI 轨迹。我们还研究了社会和行为因素在解释种族/族裔差异中的作用。
在西班牙裔人群中，墨西哥裔和波多黎各裔个体在青少年期和成年期的 BMI 增长速度都较快，而这些模式不能归因于所测量的社会和行为因素。古巴男性以及中/南美裔与白人相比，也出现了新的差异。相比之下，华裔、菲律宾裔和其他亚裔青少年的 BMI 明显较低，成年后的 BMI 增长速度也较慢。在调整了社会和行为因素的模型中，华裔与白人、其他亚裔与白人之间的差异仍未得到解释。
西班牙裔和亚裔的总体估计掩盖了 BMI 方面的重要异质性。对生命早期体重动态的更好理解可以为了解差异何时出现以及如何出现提供信息，从而更好地针对预防工作。
