A community health worker intervention to improve management of hypertension among Filipino Americans in New York and New Jersey: a pilot study.

Objective: The purpose of the pilot study was to assess the feasibility and efficacy of a 4-month community health worker (CHW) intervention to improve hypertension management among Filipino immigrants in New York and New Jersey.

Design: Single-arm CHW pilot intervention using a pre-post design delivered by 5 CHWs.

Setting: New York City, NY and Jersey City, NJ.

Evaluation of a community health worker pilot intervention to improve diabetes management in Bangladeshi immigrants with type 2 diabetes in New York City.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the impact and feasibility of a pilot Community Health Worker (CHW) intervention to improve diabetes management among Bangladeshi-American individuals with type 2 diabetes living in New York City.

Methods: Participants were recruited at clinic- and community-based venues. The intervention consisted of 6 monthly, CHW-facilitated group sessions on topics related to management of diabetes.

Smoking among Asian Americans: acculturation and gender in the context of tobacco control policies in New York City.

New York City (NYC) has experienced significant decline in smoking prevalence since its antismoking campaign; however, the rates among NYC's Asian communities have persisted since 2002. Using combined data from the REACH US Risk Factor Survey (2009-2011), this article examined ethnic- and gender-specific smoking behaviors and the effects of acculturation and location of residence on cigarette smoking behavior among Chinese, Korean, Asian Indians, and other Asian Americans. Results indicated that current smoking prevalence was higher for men than women among all four groups.

Predictors of hypertension among Filipino immigrants in the Northeast US.

Hypertension remains disproportionately high among Filipinos compared to other racial and ethnic minority populations, and little research on cardiovascular disease risk factors has been conducted among Filipino immigrants in the Northeastern part of the United States. To determine hypertension prevalence and risk factors among Filipino Americans in the New York City area, blood pressure and other clinical measurements were taken from a sample of Filipino Americans during 119 community health screenings conducted between 2006 and 2010. Additional socio-demographic and health-related characteristics were also collected via a cross-sectional survey.

Role of federal policy in building research infrastructure among emerging minorities: the Asian American experience.

Problem: Considerable progress in Asian American health research has occurred over the last two decades. However, greater and sustained federal support is needed for reducing health disparities in Asian American communities. PURPOSE OF THE ARTICLE: This paper reviews federal policies that support infrastructure to conduct minority health research and highlights one model for strengthening research capacity and infrastructure in Asian American communities.

Understanding barriers to and facilitators of diabetes control and prevention in the New York City Bangladeshi community: a mixed-methods approach.

We have reported results from the formative stage of a community health worker intervention designed to improve diabetes management among Bangladeshi patients in New York City. Trained community health workers conducted focus groups (n = 47) and surveys (n = 169) with Bangladeshi individuals recruited from community locations. Results indicated that participants faced numerous barriers to care, had high rates of limited English proficiency, and had low levels of knowledge about diabetes.

The Asian American hepatitis B program: building a coalition to address hepatitis B health disparities.

Background: Community coalitions are increasingly recognized as important strategies for addressing health disparities. By providing the opportunity to pool resources, they provide a means to develop and sustain innovative approaches to affect community health.

Objectives: This article describes the challenges and lessons learned in building the Asian American Hepatitis B Program (AAHBP) coalition to conduct a community-based participatory research (CBPR) initiative to address hepatitis B (HBV) among New York City Asian-American communities.

Effects of horticultural therapy on mood and heart rate in patients participating in an inpatient cardiopulmonary rehabilitation program.

Purpose: To assess the effects of horticultural therapy (HT) on mood state and heart rate (HR) in patients participating in an inpatient cardiac rehabilitation program.

Methods: Cardiac rehabilitation inpatients (n = 107) participated in the study. The HT group consisted of 59 subjects (34 males, 25 females).