Obesity Disparities Among Adult Single-Race and Multiracial Asian and Pacific Islander Populations

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Abstract
Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading causes of death both in the US and worldwide.1,2 Multiple demographic, social, socioeconomic, behavioral, and clinical factors1,3 contribute to cardiovascular disease, including age, sex, diet, exercise, and obesity.4 Obesity, or excess body weight, is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease.4,5 The prevalence of obesity (ie, body mass index [BMI]≥30 [calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared]) in the US increased from 30.5% in 1999 to 41.9% in 2017.6 Obesity prevalence differs by race and ethnicity in the US and is highest among Black individuals (39.7%) and lowest among Asian individuals (29.4%).7 However, within Asian and Asian American populations, there is also heterogeneity by racial and ethnic subgroups. Obesity, based on standard cutoffs, was found to be highest among Filipino individuals (15.3%) and lowest among Vietnamese individuals (6.3%).7

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