While recent immigrants to Canada are less likely to be overweight upon arriving in Canada, researchers have found that after 1 generation of living in Canada their weight significantly increases. Statistics Canada reports that after 10 years of living in Canada, all ethnic groups experienced an overall rise in body weight.
These findings support previous study findings that suggest within two or three generations, the prevalence of excess weight for immigrants often exceeds that of non-immigrants. In the recently released report, Obesity, Overweight and Ethnicity, Statistics Canada revealed that the self-reported prevalence of obesity was 3 percent for East and Southeast Asian, 17 percent for whites and 28 percent for aboriginal people living off reserve.
Researchers at Statistics Canada conclude that understanding the reasons why different ethnic groups tend to gain excess weight upon immigrating to Canada may help to identify those at high risk and target prevention strategies.
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