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Abstract #158633

Manasi A. Tirodkar, PhD¹, Neerja Khurana, BDS, MPH², Muhammad W. Paracha, MD, MPH³, David W. Baker, MD, MPH², and Namratha R. Kandula, MD, MPH². (1) Institute for Healthcare Studies, Northwestern University, 676 N. St. Clair St. Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60611, 312-695-6968, m-tirodkar@northwestern.edu, (2) Division of General Internal Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 676 N. St. Clair St. Suite 200, chicago, IL 60611, (3) Asian Human Services Family Health Center, Inc., 2820 W Peterson Ave., Chicago, IL 60640

Context: Asian Indians and Pakistanis (South Asians) are among the most rapidly growing immigrant groups in the US. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in South Asians, and South Asians may be at greater risk for CVD than many other US racial/ethnic groups.

Objectives: To compare South Asians' causal models of CVD to the biomedical model and to determine perceptions of CVD risk in order to develop culturally-targeted heart disease prevention messages.

Design, Setting, Participants: We conducted qualitative, semi-structured interviews in English, Hindi and Urdu with 75 respondents from a federally qualified health center and at a community center for South Asian immigrants in Chicago, Illinois. Age ranged from 20-70; 60% were women; 60% held advanced degrees; 70% were recent immigrants (i.e. came to the US in the last 10 years) and 60% of the interviews were in Hindi or Urdu.

Results: The interviews revealed that South Asians' causal models of heart disease, encompassed not just conventional biomedical risk factors, but also spiritual, emotional, and psychological risk factors. Several respondents also suggested that heart disease was sudden or inexplicable. Women more frequently cited a relationship between stress and CVD than men. Perceived risk of having a heart attack was low, especially among women and Urdu-speakers.

Conclusion: CVD prevention messages must take into account South Asian immigrants' causal models of CVD, as well as the low perceptions of CVD risk among South Asian women and non-English speaking South Asians.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe causal models of cardiovascular disease among South Asian immigrants and recognize how they differ from the conventional bio-psychosocial model.
• Identify how intervention strategies should be targeted to different segments of the South Asian population.

Keywords: Asian Americans, Chronic (CVD)

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.