Impacts of Long-Term Obesity on the Health Status of Samoan and Tongan Men in the United States: Results from the Pacific Islander Health Study

Overview

Journal Ethn Dis

Specialties Public Health
Social Sciences

Date 2015 Dec 18

PMID 26672474

Citations 9

Authors

Sela V Panapasa

James W McNally

Steven G Heeringa

David R Williams

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: To examine the impacts of long-standing obesity (BMIs ≥ 30.0 kg/m(2)) on health outcomes among Samoan and Tongan men (aged ≥ 18 years) in California using a life course perspective.

Design: Cross-sectional analysis of 103 males from the Pacific Islander Health Study (PIHS), a probability sample modeled after the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS).

Setting: Urban residential neighborhoods in San Mateo and Los Angeles counties using a multistage, cluster sample design.

Main Outcome Measures: BMI, diabetes, hypertension, total cholesterol, smoking, drinking, arthritis, gout and migraines.

Results: Bivariate analysis shows high rates of poor health outcomes distributed throughout the obese and non-obese sample. Logistic analysis finds that being obese does not significantly increase observed negative health outcomes. After controlling for socio-demographic characteristics, the presence of obesity results in non-significant findings for hypertension (OR=1.02; CI: .21, 4.91), and high cholesterol (OR=.52; CI: .10, 2.73), while obesity significantly reduces the risk of diabetes by 60% (OR=.40; CI: .14, 1.17). When applying disease counts, obese men have a significantly lower risk of reporting multiple health conditions (OR=.72; CI: .52, 1.00).

Conclusion: Overall, the health of Samoan and Tongan males in California is uniformly poor and obesity alone does not significantly increase risks of poor health outcomes. Using a life course perspective, the analysis offers new insights on the basic health of this understudied population.

Citing Articles

Prevalence and associations between food insecurity and overweight/obesity among native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander adolescents.

Long C, Narcisse M, Selig J, Willis D, Gannon M, Rowland B Public Health Nutr. 2023; 26(7):1338-1344.

PMID: 37069046 PMC: 10346012. DOI: 10.1017/S1368980023000769.

Association Between Stress and Social Support Among Young Adult Pacific Islander Smokers.

Kwan P, Pike J, Co D, Esmundo S, Vaivao D, May V Hawaii J Health Soc Welf. 2023; 82(2):31-38.

PMID: 36779006 PMC: 9910195.

Food insecurity and chronic diseases among Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in the US: results of a population-based survey.

Long C, Narcisse M, Bailey M, Rowland B, English E, McElfish P J Hunger Environ Nutr. 2022; 17(1):53-68.

PMID: 35432687 PMC: 9012098. DOI: 10.1080/19320248.2021.1873883.

Examining the Relationship Between Physical Activity and Self-Efficacy for Exercise Among Overweight and Obese Marshallese Adults.

McElfish P, Rowland B, Scott A, Boyers J, Long C, Felix H J Immigr Minor Health. 2021; 24(2):461-468.

PMID: 33837895 PMC: 9540904. DOI: 10.1007/s10903-021-01194-8.

Assessing the Quality of the Systems of Care for Children with Congenital Zika Virus Infection and Other Neurodevelopmental Disabilities in the United States Pacific Island Territories.

Zai T, Yasuda P, Rao S, Iizumi S, Vanderbilt D, Deavenport-Saman A Hawaii J Health Soc Welf. 2020; 79(9):279-284.

PMID: 32914095 PMC: 7477700.

References

Kwan P, Briand G, Lee C, Lepule J, Pang J, Sabado M . Use of a community-based participatory research approach to assess knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs on biospecimen research among Pacific Islanders. Health Promot Pract. 2014; 15(3):422-30. PMC: 5682926. DOI: 10.1177/1524839913516464. View

Dixon J . The effect of obesity on health outcomes. Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2009; 316(2):104-8. DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2009.07.008. View

Lassetter J, Clark L, Morgan S, Brown L, VanServellen G, Duncan K . Health literacy and obesity among native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders in the United States. Public Health Nurs. 2014; 32(1):15-23. DOI: 10.1111/phn.12155. View

King B, Dube S, Tynan M . Current tobacco use among adults in the United States: findings from the National Adult Tobacco Survey. Am J Public Health. 2012; 102(11):e93-e100. PMC: 3477973. DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2012.301002. View

Kral J . Morbid obesity and related health risks. Ann Intern Med. 1985; 103(6 ( Pt 2)):1043-7. DOI: 10.7326/0003-4819-103-6-1043. View

Fialkowski M, DeBaryshe B, Bersamin A, Nigg C, Guerrero R, Rojas G . A community engagement process identifies environmental priorities to prevent early childhood obesity: the Children's Healthy Living (CHL) program for remote underserved populations in the US Affiliated Pacific Islands, Hawaii and Alaska. Matern Child Health J. 2013; 18(10):2261-74. PMC: 4220109. DOI: 10.1007/s10995-013-1353-3. View

. Pacific islanders pay heavy price for abandoning traditional diet. Bull World Health Organ. 2010; 88(7):484-5. PMC: 2897991. DOI: 10.2471/BLT.10.010710. View

Brewis A, McGarvey S, Jones J, Swinburn B . Perceptions of body size in Pacific Islanders. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 1998; 22(2):185-9. DOI: 10.1038/sj.ijo.0800562. View

Mau M, Kaholokula J, West M, Leake A, Efird J, Rose C . Translating diabetes prevention into native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities: the PILI 'Ohana Pilot project. Prog Community Health Partnersh. 2010; 4(1):7-16. PMC: 2852179. DOI: 10.1353/cpr.0.0111. View

10.

Roger V, Go A, Lloyd-Jones D, Benjamin E, Berry J, Borden W . Heart disease and stroke statistics--2012 update: a report from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2011; 125(1):e2-e220. PMC: 4440543. DOI: 10.1161/CIR.0b013e31823ac046. View

11.

Pataky Z, Armand S, Muller-Pinget S, Golay A, Allet L . Effects of obesity on functional capacity. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2013; 22(1):56-62. DOI: 10.1002/oby.20514. View

12.

Geiss L, Wang J, Gregg E . Reporting of diabetes trends among Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders--reply. JAMA. 2015; 313(2):201-2. DOI: 10.1001/jama.2014.16603. View

13.

Garg S, Maurer H, Reed K, Selagamsetty R . Diabetes and cancer: two diseases with obesity as a common risk factor. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2013; 16(2):97-110. PMC: 3904746. DOI: 10.1111/dom.12124. View

14.

Panapasa S, Crabbe K, Kaholokula J . Efficacy of Federal Data: Revised Office of Management and Budget Standard for Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islanders Examined. AAPI Nexus. 2014; 9(1-2):212-220. PMC: 4211287. DOI: 10.17953/appc.9.1-2.cp21x04488016643. View

15.

Kaholokula J, Townsend C, Ige A, Sinclair K, Mau M, Leake A . Sociodemographic, behavioral, and biological variables related to weight loss in native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2013; 21(3):E196-203. PMC: 3630234. DOI: 10.1002/oby.20038. View

16.

Okihiro M, Harrigan R . An overview of obesity and diabetes in the diverse populations of the Pacific. Ethn Dis. 2005; 15(4 Suppl 5):S5-71-80. View

17.

House J, Lantz P, Herd P . Continuity and change in the social stratification of aging and health over the life course: evidence from a nationally representative longitudinal study from 1986 to 2001/2002 (Americans' Changing Lives Study). J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2005; 60 Spec No 2:15-26. DOI: 10.1093/geronb/60.special_issue_2.s15. View

18.

Ahima R, Lazar M . Physiology. The health risk of obesity--better metrics imperative. Science. 2013; 341(6148):856-8. DOI: 10.1126/science.1241244. View

19.

Ferraro K, Wilmoth J . Measuring morbidity: disease counts, binary variables, and statistical power. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2002; 55(3):S173-89. DOI: 10.1093/geronb/55.3.s173. View

20.

Wallman K, Evinger S, Schechter S . Measuring our nation's diversity: developing a common language for data on race/ethnicity. Am J Public Health. 2000; 90(11):1704-8. PMC: 1446413. DOI: 10.2105/ajph.90.11.1704. View