Prevalence and risk factors contributing to the occurrence of diabetes mellitus in Chinese international migrants: A narrative review

Aims: This paper reviewed the literature on diabetes prevalence and risk factors associated with diabetes among first-generation Chinese international migrants. Methods: MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL and Maternity and Infant Care were searched until March 2022, for articles written in English. The quality of the included articles was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Results: In total, 17 articles were included (nine for gestational diabetes, six for type 2 diabetes, and none for type 1 diabetes). The average crude prevalence rate for type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes was 12.1% and 9.3% respectively. Risk factors contributing to the occurrence of type 2 diabetes included older age, sex, family history of type 2 diabetes, higher BMI/waist circumference, longer time since migration, alcohol consumption, smoker, hypertension, and high triglycerides. Risk factors contributing to the occurrence of gestational diabetes included older maternal age, history of gestational diabetes, higher weight/pre-pregnancy BMI, longer time since migration, and Chinese ethnicity. Conclusions: We identified a research gap in the diabetes health of Chinese migrants, particularly for type 1 diabetes, highlighting the need for ethnic-specific diabetes research and care, including for subsequent gener-ations of migrants and those living in developing countries.

Automated summary

This paper reviewed the literature on diabetes prevalence and risk factors in first-generation Chinese international migrants. The study found that the crude prevalence rate of type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes among Chinese migrants was 12.1% and 9.3% respectively. Risk factors contributing to the occurrence of type 2 diabetes included older age, sex, family history, higher BMI/waist circumference, longer time since migration, alcohol consumption, smoking, hypertension, and high triglycerides. Risk factors contributing to the occurrence of gestational diabetes included older maternal age, history of gestational diabetes, higher weight/pre-pregnancy BMI, longer time since migration, and Chinese ethnicity.