Comparing Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factors in Asian Migrants and Native Koreans among the Asian Population.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Migrant Health

Background:

• International migrant health assessment is critical globally, especially in Asia.
• Non-communicable disease (NCD) risk factors among migrants require comparison with host populations.
• Understanding health disparities is key for targeted public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare NCD risk factors between Asian migrants and the Korean population.
• To identify specific migrant groups and nationalities with elevated NCD risk factors.
• To highlight health inequalities among Asian migrants in the Republic of Korea.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional (2015) and longitudinal (2009-2015) observational study.
• Population-wide analysis including 987,214 Asian migrants and 1,693,281 Korean nationals (aged ≥20).
• Age-adjusted prevalence analysis of current smoking, obesity, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension using the World Standard Population.

Main Results:

• Higher age-adjusted prevalence of current smoking in Chinese and other Asian migrant men compared to Korean men.
• Increased age-adjusted prevalence of obesity in Chinese, Filipino, and other Asian migrant women versus Korean women.
• Elevated age-adjusted prevalence of diabetes mellitus and hypertension in Filipino migrant women (aged 20-49) compared to Korean women.

Conclusions:

• Specific Asian migrant nationalities exhibit higher rates of smoking and obesity than native Koreans.
• Filipino migrant women, particularly those aged 20-49, face significant health inequalities.
• Targeted interventions are necessary to address NCD risk factors and health disparities among migrant populations in Korea.