Exposure to starvation: associations with HbA1c, anthropometrics, and trauma symptoms four decades later among Cambodians resettled in the USA

摘要: BackgroundEpidemiological data suggest that populations exposed to starvation show increased incidence of type 2 diabetes but these studies are limited by lack of person-level data. Cambodians resettled in the USA survived severe malnutrition during distinct historical eras. We examined the relationship of individual exposure to starvation with current HbA1c, anthropometrics, and trauma symptoms among Cambodian Americans.MethodsParticipants were excluded for extant diabetes but all had elevated risk factors for type 2 diabetes and depression. Participants identified images on a 5-point scale that best depicted their body size during four distinct periods: before 1970 (peacetime), 1970–1975 (USA bombing campaign, widespread hunger), 1975–1979 (Pol Pot regime, mass starvation), and “now” (2016–2019, resettled in the USA). They reported trauma symptoms and provided anthropometrics and a blood …