Obesity in Refugees Post-resettlement in a High-income Country: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Abstract Background Resettled refugees have a lower risk of obesity at arrival but over time this risk increases. We systematically investigated the association between refugee status and obesity after resettlement in a high-income nation. Methods We searched PubMed, Embase, OpenGrey and bibliographies of retrieved articles, with no date, location, and language restrictions, for observational studies assessing obesity rates in resettled refugees compared to the host population. Results Nine studies were analyzed. We found no evidence of increased risk of obesity among refugees compared to the host population, with significant heterogeneity across studies. Only sub-analysis by sex showed a significantly increased risk of obesity among female refugees compared to the host population. Discussion Pooled analyses showed no increased risk of obesity among refugees in various host nations. However, the magnitude of the association between refugee status and obesity suggests a protective effect that should be explored further.