Diabetes in Immigrants? Does that make sense?
Luis F.
Surprisingly... It does.
Diabetes exists in almost all nations of the world, if not all of them. It has a similar expectancy as immigration, which also exists in almost all nations of the world... if not all. But believe it or not, immigration does have a link connected to the prevalence of diabetes in immigrants. But what are the risk factors?
Diabetes exists in almost all nations of the world, if not all of them. It has a similar expectancy as immigration, which also exists in almost all nations of the world... if not all. But believe it or not, immigration does have a link connected to the prevalence of diabetes in immigrants. But what are the risk factors?
THE INEQUITY: SOCIAL
In basic terms, social inequity is on the rise among immigrants in first world countries. Inequalities that exist among diabetes include health care unavailability, income (which is socioeconomic), legal status, job, etc. For most immigrants, all of these inequalities may pop up in some parts of their lives during their times as immigrants. But why? Well, since most of them come to the U.S. to search for jobs, primarily, they usually come with little to no money. That will more than likely leave them vulnerable to many… risk factors. The largest immigrant groups nowadays come from Africa and Asia, according to the Washington Post. In those apparent continents, there are many problems that are arising or have arised that will more than likely affect diabetes prevalence.
Environmental Risk Factors
Almost all western countries have similar statistics when it comes to health. For example, in the U.S., 29.1 million people have contracted diabetes (9.3%) and obesity has risen to almost 35% amongst the population. This plays in significantly with immigrants due to:
Genetic Risk Factors
Many genes have formed or have existed in certain cultures around the world. Those exact genes may be carried by immigrants in the U.S. With diet influence and unhealthy lifestyles, this does not help at all the rise of Diabetes among immigrants.
Environmental Risk Factors
Almost all western countries have similar statistics when it comes to health. For example, in the U.S., 29.1 million people have contracted diabetes (9.3%) and obesity has risen to almost 35% amongst the population. This plays in significantly with immigrants due to:
- Western influence. Immigrants had their own ways of staying healthy.
- The environment of food. In the U.S., a fast food restaurant is very common. In Brownsville, TX, the fact that fast food chains have increased significantly can be exemplified in this city. The majority of the population is taken by Mexican immigrants, which are dissapointed in food availability due to their next generation leaving their traditional foods, such as black beans and cactus, for fast food. This may be the reason why the amount of Latino/Hispanic diabetics rose from 10% in the 1990s to 16% two decades later.
Genetic Risk Factors
Many genes have formed or have existed in certain cultures around the world. Those exact genes may be carried by immigrants in the U.S. With diet influence and unhealthy lifestyles, this does not help at all the rise of Diabetes among immigrants.
- South Asians have more than 10 genes in their population that may cause diabetes. The rate of south asian diabetics in the U.S. is now 10%, which also matches the rates in the UK.
- Indian Africans and Indian Asians have genes that may cause insulin resistance (mostly in women) and men have an almost half higher amount of contracting diabetes in both ethnicities.