Intercontinental differences in overweight of adopted Koreans in the United States and Europe

A greater proportion of the United States (US) population is overweight or obese (with BMI over 25 kg/m2) relative to all Western European populations, and it might be expected that migrants to either the US or Western Europe would develop patterns of overweight and obesity that reflect this difference. This paper examines the effects of obesogenic environments on Asians by reporting differences in rates of overweight (which is taken to include obesity in this analysis) among 261 adult South Koreans, which had been adopted in early-life into white middle class families living in the US and in Western European Nations. Data collected during an international adoption survey carried out for the Korean government in 2008 were analyzed. The prevalence of overweight of adopted Koreans raised in the US significantly exceeds the level among adopted Koreans in Europe by 11.3%. These intercontinental differences are statistically significant after controlling for sex, current age, age of adoption, and education. This paper supports the view that life-style factors are more detrimental for the weight status of people in the US than in Western Europe.

► Rates of overnutrition of South Korean adoptees in the United States and Western Europe are reported. ► Overnutrition rates in the United States significantly exceed those in Europe by 11.3%. ► Differences remain significant after controlling for socioeconomic factors. ► Life-style factors are more detrimental for excess weight in the United States than Western Europe.