The Risk of Obesity, Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes

Dear Colleagues,

Migration has been an important human activity since ancient times. Yearly, the number of migrants across the globe continues to rise, and currently, there are more people than ever who live in a country other than the one which they were born (https://www.un.org/en/sections/issues-depth/migration/index.html). Migrants’ health is an important public health issue, and for the first time, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development recognizes the important contribution of migration to sustainable development, with 11 out of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) having targets and indicators that are relevant to migration or mobility. There is growing evidence supporting the role of migration in the development of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiovascular diseases (CVD), obesity and diabetes (Bo, Zinckernagel, Krasnik, Petersen, and Norredam, 2015). While most evidence points to worse CVD and diabetes outcomes among migrants, there are few that show better CVD risk profile among migrants than the host population (Tu et al., 2015). This shows the role of diverse factors in explaining the differences in CVD risk among migrant populations.

The complex interplay between origin, epidemiologic, and socioeconomic transitions results in differences in disease risk and prevalence between and within populations. Migrant populations carry along disease characteristics, inherited from their place of origin (Bedi, Singh, Syed, Aryafar, and Arora, 2006) which affect future health risk. As migrants are exposed to new factors (including acculturative stress resulting from the feeling of isolation, discrimination, alienation and dislocation, lifestyle changes and adaptations, and access to healthcare) in their host environment, their risk of CVDs and diabetes may change over time. Current research has, however, not been able to completely unravel the effect of migration on CVDs and diabetes. This Special Issue invites papers addressing the burden and risk factors of CVDs, obesity, and diabetes among migrants globally.

Dr. Daniel Boateng
Dr. Hibbah Araba Osei-Kwasi
Guest Editors

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