5194.0: Wednesday, October 24, 2001 - 2:30 PM

Abstract #29541

A youth-designed health publication addresses intergenerational cultural issues in a Vietnamese-American community

Vicki Harris Wyatt, PhD1, Dong Bui2, Sharon Rodine, MEd2, and LaDonna Marshall2. (1) Department of Health Promotion Sciences, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, P.O. Box 26901, College of Health Building, Room 395, Oklahoma City, OK 73190, 405-271-2017, ext. 46753, vicki-wyatt@ouhsc.edu, (2) HEART of OKC Project, Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy, 420 N.W. 13th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73103

Prevention materials contribute to improving the health status of racial and ethnic communities by customizing messages. The purpose of this presentation is to demonstrate how a health communication model was used to address priorities identified by a Vietnamese-American community during initial needs assessment activities. Adults and youth from the Oklahoma City Vietnamese-American community (13,000 residents, 1990 U.S. Census) participated in the HEART of OKC (Healthy, Empowered And Responsible Teens of OKC) Project, one of 13 community-based teen pregnancy prevention/youth development projects funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vietnamese adults and youth stated they wanted opportunities for positive interactions and increased parental understanding. Activities were implemented creating a culturally appropriate publication facilitating communication between adults and youth. Process evaluation measures, annual action plan and monthly progress logs, were used to document progress. The result was the publication, “Viet Youth Today”, developed by 30 youth and 15 adult task force members providing information on issues including sexuality, teen pregnancy, inter-racial dating, and alcohol/tobacco use prevention. The “Viet Youth Today” publication, funded by contributions from 30 businesses, presents information in Vietnamese and English on health issues in a user-friendly, compelling manner. Task force members presented the 132-page publication during the 2001 Lunar New Year celebration. Bridging the gap between adults and youth in dual cultures without being offensive and insensitive to the cultural norms is important for the health status of the Vietnamese-American community. This bi-lingual publication is a valuable community resource for increasing understanding between Vietnamese and American communities.

Learning Objectives: 1. Describe a health communication model for a publication addressing the youth and adult cultural concerns for a Vietnamese-American community. 2. Discuss process evaluation measures for a health communication model.

Keywords: Asian Americans, Health Communications

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

The 129th Annual Meeting of APHA