Ethnic Differences in Fall Risk Among Community-Dwelling Older People in the Netherlands.

OBJECTIVE: This study measures the prevalence of falls and fear of falling among a population sample aged ≥65 years from different ethnic minorities living in the Netherlands, and examines whether ethnicity contributed to the differences in fall risk. METHOD: We analyzed data from 8,892 Dutch, Moroccan, Turkish, and Surinamese participants. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression analyses were conducted with falls and fear of falling as the dependent variable and ethnicity as the independent variable. RESULTS: Moroccan, Turkish, and Surinamese older adults had a significantly higher odds ratio (OR) for fear of falling than their Dutch counterparts (OR = 2.13, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.05, 4.31]; OR = 2.09, 95% CI = [1.07, 4.09]; and OR = 2.49, 95% CI = [1.53, 4.03], respectively). The association between ethnicity and falling disappeared after controlling for socio-demographic and health characteristics. DISCUSSION: Dutch minority older adults were at higher risk for fear of falling than their Dutch counterparts. The study underlines the need for targeting culture-sensitive interventions.

Overweight and obesity in young Turkish, Moroccan and Surinamese migrants of the second generation in the Netherlands.

OBJECTIVE: To examine differences in overweight and obesity of second-generation Turkish, Moroccan and Surinamese migrants v. first-generation migrants and the ethnic Dutch. We also studied the influence of sociodemographic factors on this association. DESIGN: Data were collected in 2008 in a cross-sectional postal and online health survey. SETTING: Four major Dutch cities. SUBJECTS: In the survey 42 686 residents aged 16 years and over participated. Data from Dutch (n 3615) and second/first-generation Surinamese (n 230/139), Turkish (n 203/241) and Moroccan (n 172/187) participants aged 16-34 years were analysed using logistic regression with overweight (BMI ≥ 25·0 kg/m²) and obesity (BMI ≥ 30·0 kg/m²) as dependent variables. BMI was calculated from self-reported body height and weight. Sociodemographic variables included sex, age, marital status, educational level, employment status and financial situation. RESULTS: After controlling for age, overweight (including obesity) was more prevalent in most second-generation migrant subgroups compared with the Dutch population, except for Moroccan men. Obesity rates among second-generation migrant men were similar to those among the Dutch. Second-generation migrant women were more often obese than Dutch women. Ethnic differences were partly explained by the lower educational level of second-generation migrants. Differences in overweight between second- and first-generation migrants were only found among Moroccan and Surinamese men. CONCLUSIONS: We did not find a converging trend for the overweight and obesity prevalence from second-generation migrants towards the Dutch host population. Therefore, preventive interventions should also focus on second-generation migrants to stop the obesity epidemic.