Diet and physical activity interventions for Chinese migrants in high-income countries
Citation: Beasley JM, Wagnild JM, Pollard TM, et al. Effectiveness of diet and physical activity interventions among Chinese-origin populations living in high income countries: a systematic review. BMC Public Health. 2020;20:1-25.
Language: Abstract and full text available in EN.
Free to view: Yes.
Funding sources: Durham University (UK) and the European Union.
What is this? In high-income countries, Chinese immigrants are one of the largest growing populations. The prevalence of metabolic diseases in this group is increasing.
In this systematic review, the authors searched without language restrictions for studies about diet and physical activity interventions in Chinese immigrants. In February 2020 they found 22 articles from 21 different studies in Australia (1), Canada (1), South Korea (1), and the USA (18).
What works: The authors found clinically meaningful improvements in body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure in adults.
What doesn’t work: There was no change for any cardiometabolic outcomes in children.
What is uncertain: Changes in waist circumference, low-density lipoprotein, and glucose in adults were not statistically significant.
Implications: Cultural factors may influence the effectiveness of lifestyle interventions in Chinese populations living in high income countries.
Other considerations: The authors of the review discussed their findings in the context of place of residence, race, ethnicity, culture, and language.
This summary was prepared by Joly Ghanawi, checked by Briann Mensour, and finalized by William Summerskill.