eprintid: 3336
rev_number: 5
eprint_status: archive
userid: 1
dir: disk0/00/00/33/36
datestamp: 2020-08-27 08:45:57
lastmod: 2020-08-27 08:45:57
status_changed: 2020-08-27 08:45:57
type: thesis
metadata_visibility: show
sword_depositor: 1
creators_name: Van Atten, M.
creators_id: S2571021
creators_email: m.van.atten@student.rug.nl
title: Migrants and Obesity - Explaining BMI differences between native and non-native Dutch residents.
ispublished: unpub
full_text_status: public
abstract: Obesity is one of the world’s greatest current challenges. Therefore, research on obesity and its risk factors is ubiquitous. Simultaneously, people are more mobile than ever and the global migrant stock increases each year. Migrants are generally found to be healthier than non-migrants. However, current-day research statistics show that migrants in Western Europe have a greater risk of being obese than non-migrants. In The Netherlands, nearly a quarter of the population has a migration background. Ten years ago the Dutch Central Plan Bureau established that obesity is more prevalent in minorities. This study aimed to investigate if this is still the case today and how this can be explained. Therefore, a mediation analysis through ordinary least squares regression was carried out. The positive association between being a migrant and obesity was found, however when controlling for other constructs, such as socioeconomic status, behaviour and mental health, the effect of being a migrant became insignificant. However, the mediation effect was small. Moreover, the coefficient of determination was only 5%, indicating that most variance in BMI is caused by other factors. It is argued that more research into the conflicting risk factors for obesity is needed to identify more patterns. If targeted policy is to be successful, it is crucial that the risk factors are better understood.
date: 2020
pages: 18
thesis_type: bachelor
degree_programme: SGP
tutors_name: Remund, A.P.P.
tutors_organization: Fac. Ruimtelijke wetenschappen, Basiseenheid Demografie
tutors_email: A.P.P.Remund@rug.nl
security: validuser
keywords_local: Obesity
keywords_local: Migrants
keywords_local: Risk factors
keywords_local: Mediation
language_iso: en
agreed_repository: yes
date_issued: 2020-08-26
citation:   Van Atten, M.  (2020) Migrants and Obesity - Explaining BMI differences between native and non-native Dutch residents.  Bachelor thesis.   
document_url: https://frw.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/3336/1/Bachelor%20Thesis%20-%20Marieke%20van%20Atten.pdf