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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Ibnosina Journal of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences 2023; 15(02): 079-087
DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1761961
Original Article

Association between Acculturation and Obesity among Female Migrants in the United Arab Emirates: A Population-Based Study

Syed M. Shah
1   Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
2   Department of Family Medicine, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
,
Marília Silva Paulo
1   Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
,
Tom Loney 
3   Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, College of Medicine, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
,
Javaid Nauman
1   Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
4   Department of Circulation and Medical Imaging, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
,
Romona D. Govender
5   Family Medicine, United Arab Emirates University, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
› Author Affiliations Funding and Sponsorship This study was supported by College of Medicine and Health Sciences United Arab Emirates University Individual Faculty Grant (No NP09–30) entitled “Chronic Diseases Prevention in Immigrants: Putting Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Surveillance Screen.” The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
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Abstract

Introduction Emerging evidence suggests that the “healthy migrant effect” may diminish over time with increasing years of residency in the host country. However, few studies have documented the duration of residence associated with the prevalence of obesity among female migrants. This study examined the hypothesis that acculturation is associated with an increased prevalence of obesity among female migrants in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Results The mean ± standard deviation (SD) of the age of participants was 34.0 ± 9.9 years. The overall prevalence of overweight, obesity, and central adiposity was 30.0, 16.8, and 43.2%, respectively. The prevalence of overweight, obesity, and central adiposity varied across nationalities, with 28.6, 6.9, and 30.3% among Filipinos; 30.1, 37.5, and 66.9% among Arabs; and 33.1, 17.3, and 72.4% among South Asians, respectively. After controlling for age, female migrants with ≥5 years of residence in the UAE were twice as likely to be overweight or obese (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 2.12 [95%confidence interval (CI): 1.05–4.27]) and having a central adiposity (aOR: 2.05 [95%CI: 1.09–3.84]) as compared with those with fewer years of residence. Female migrants who reported walking for ≤30 min/d were less likely to be overweight or obese (aOR: 0.41 [95%CI: 0.17–0.97]) or exhibit central adiposity (aOR: 0.21 [95%CI: 0.08, 0.59]).

Conclusion The findings of the study suggest that duration of residence among female migrants in the UAE is an indicator of acculturation and is associated with unfavorable changes in body composition. Public health programs should focus on promoting healthy lifestyle choices and physical activity among females in the UAE.

Keywords

acculturation - obesity - prevalence - migrants - Filipino - South Asians - Arabs

Authors' Contribution

All named authors have contributed to the conception and conduct of the study, data analysis, and drafting and revising of the manuscript.


Compliance with Ethical Principles

Ethical approval was obtained from the Al Ain Medical District Human Research Ethics Committee (AAMDHREC 10.21). Written informed consent was obtained from all participants.


Data Availability Statement

Data will be shared upon reasonable request from the primary author.




Publication History

Article published online:
17 April 2023

© 2023. The Libyan Biotechnology Research Center. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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