Dr. Afable continues, "The study of how assimilation to U.S. society influences health of immigrants is of particular interest to public health researchers because we know that immigrants arrive in the U.S. with a health advantage. However, evidence suggests that this advantage erodes over time, a process sometimes referred to as 'unhealthy assimilation'. It is not clear whether this pattern varies by country of origin of the immigrant group."
‘There is an increased risk of obesity among Filipino immigrants living in the New York City metropolitan area.’
Dr. Afable adds, "While our findings should be confirmed in prospective causal studies, they contribute to the evidence base suggesting increased exposure to the U.S. environment is detrimental to the health of immigrants, a relationship better understood by examining how immigrants adjust to stressors in their new environment in the U.S."
Dr. Afable said, "In an urban context such as New York City, these stressors may include work stress that accompanies more sedentary occupations; discrimination; limited time for rest and recreation; less healthy diets; and an overburdened healthcare system - all factors that create a situation dramatically different from what they left behind in their countries of origin."
Dr. Afable concludes, "I think it is important to note that while the United States has always been a country of immigrants, scholarship in immigrant health is relatively recent and has seen an explosion in the past 15 years, a period in which there has been more than a doubling of the immigrant population in the U.S."
Source: Eurekalert
