South Asians (SA) have a higher cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk compared to non-Hispanic whites. The majority of SA Americans are first generation immigrants who may experience stressors related to discrimination, cultural adaptation, and system-level barriers.

Purpose:

This study measured acculturative stress among SA adults participating in the South Asian Healthy Lifestyle Intervention (SAHELI) trial. We report preliminary results on baseline acculturative stress levels and differences by gender, years in the U.S., and religion among the first 347 participants in the trial.

Methods:

The SAHELI trial is evaluating the effects of a 16-week lifestyle intervention on CVD risk among SA adults (n=550). Acculturative stress was measured using the Riverside Acculturation Stress Inventory (RASI) at baseline to understand how acculturative stress may moderate intervention effects.

Results:

SAs reported low levels of overall acculturative stress (mean=1.67, SD=0.54). There were significant differences for intercultural relations and discrimination domains for men and women, with men reporting higher levels (p <.01). Muslim SA Americans reported higher levels of language skills stressors than SAs from other religions (p<0.01). As percent of life in the U.S. increased, overall acculturative stress, work challenges, intercultural relations, and discrimination scores increased (p<0.05). There was a significant negative correlation between percent of life in the US and language stress.

Conclusion:

SA Americans reported some acculturative stress, and there appeared to be differences by gender, religion, and years in the U.S. As a next step, we will determine if acculturative stress may influence CVD risk and effectiveness of lifestyle interventions.