245796 Community Strategies for Promoting Diabetes Prevention among Chinese Americans

Monday, October 31, 2011

Winston Tseng, PhD , Health Research for Action, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Susan L. Ivey, MD, MHSA , Health Research for Action, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Liss Ieong , Community Health Center, Asian Health Services, Oakland, CA
Kelly Fang , Community Health Center, Asian Health Services, Oakland, CA
Ben Lui, MD , Community Health Center, Asian Health Services, Oakland, CA
Rosy Chang Weir, PhD , Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations, Oakland, CA
Hui Song, MPH, MS , Research Department, Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations, Oakland, CA
Elaine Kurtovich, MPH , Health Research for Action, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Diabetes has emerged as a new epidemic across the US. Diabetes rates are growing faster among Asian Americans than among any other racial/ethnic group, doubling from 4 percent in 1997 to 8 percent in 2008. Diabetes rates for Asian Americans are also higher in the US than in their native country. Among Chinese, diabetes rates are ~ 2.5 times higher than in the general U.S. population. In addition, Chinese diabetes rates are 5 to 7 times higher in the U.S. than in the native countries. This community-academic participatory research project is a collaboration between UC Berkeley, Asian Health Services, and the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations, sought to identify community health strategies for reducing and preventing Chinese diabetes, and conducted formative research to assess Chinese diabetes health promotion needs, community resources, preferred information type and content, and strategies for educating family members of diabetics and the Chinese American community at-large. Six focus groups (3 Cantonese, 3 Mandarin) were conducted at Asian Health Services in Oakland, California. Content analysis was conducted using Atlas.ti software. They key findings included diet and exercise are perceived to be central to preventing diabetes; diabetes education should start at an early age; educational materials are most useful in DVD or booklet format and in-language; and culturally competent clinics, hospitals, and health professionals are perceived to be the most reliable sources of diabetes information. The presentation will also discuss the implications for research, and key recommendations for diabetes health promotion in the Chinese community.

Learning Areas:
Chronic disease management and prevention
Diversity and culture
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe the rates and causes of diabetes among Chinese Americans. 2. Explain culturally and linguistically proficient approaches to diabetes prevention in the Chinese community. 3. Describe the value of participatory design and research in the efforts to promote diabetes prevention in the Chinese American community.

Keywords: Diabetes, Asian and Pacific Islander

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the project director for this study.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

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.

See more of: Diabetes Prevention and Control : Education in Populations Experiencing Disparities
See more of: Public Health Education and Health Promotion