Background: Wildfire smoke exposure has become a growing public health concern, as megafires and fires at the wildland urban interface increase in incidence and severity. Smoke contains many pollutants that negatively impact health and is linked to a number of health complications and chronic diseases. Communicating effectively with the public, especially at-risk populations, to reduce their exposure to this environmental pollutant has become a public health priority.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Among all Asian American subgroups, Filipino-Americans have consistently been shown to have the highest rates of hypertension, raising risks of heart attack and stroke. Despite this alarming fact, little has been done to investigate culturally-sensitive interventions to control hypertension rates in this vulnerable population. To address the lack of culturally-relevant lifestyle options for blood pressure management currently available to the Filipino community, this exploratory pilot study used a design thinking approach informed by culinary medicine to develop a culturally-tailored, heart-healthy, and low sodium recipe cookbook for Filipino Americans with hypertension and evaluate its feasibility as a hypertension intervention.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCardiovascular diseases (CVD) including heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, and uncontrolled hypertension are leading causes of death among women of all ages. Despite efforts to increase awareness about CVD among women, over the past decade there has been stagnation in the reduction of CVD in women, and CVD among younger women and women of color has in fact increased. We recommend taking action using policy levers to address CVD in women including: (1) Promoting periodic screening for risk factors including blood pressure, lipids/cholesterol, diabetes for all women starting at 18-21 years, with calculated atherosclerotic CVD (ASCVD) risk score use among women 40 years or older.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Colorectal cancer screening rates among South Asian Americans are among the lowest of US population groups. Few population-based studies have examined determinants of screening in this population. The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with colorectal cancer screening among South Asian Americans.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFilipino-Americans are the third largest Asian-American population, with a median age of 44. However, there is limited literature focusing on the group's ophthalmic care engagement. Timely eye examinations and outreach are necessary to reduce visual impairment in this older community.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe rapid adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) has created extensive repositories of digitized data that can be used to inform improvements in care delivery, processes, and patient outcomes. While the clinical data captured in EHRs are widely used for such efforts, EHRs also capture audit log data that reflect how users interact with the EHR to deliver care. Automatically collected audit log data provide a unique opportunity for new insights into EHR user behavior and decision-making processes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTo evaluate the knowledge of, participation in, attitudes towards, and experiences with "doing the month" (DTM), a traditional Chinese and Vietnamese postpartum practice, at a federally qualified health center that serves predominantly Asian immigrants. DTM practices revolve around the balance between yin and yang and include practices such as the mother remaining on bed rest for as long as possible, restricting diet to certain foods, and avoiding visitors and social activities. A cross-sectional survey in Chinese, Vietnamese, and English was developed to determine the prevalence of women who have heard of and participated in DTM.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThere is no effective vaccine against mastitis in dairy cows. Objectives of this study were (1) to extract surface proteins (SUSP) and determine immunoreactivity in vitro and (2) immunogenicity and efficacy in vivo. SUSP was extracted from , and their immunoreactivity was tested by western blot.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Over recent decades, Vietnam has experienced rapid economic growth, a nutrition transition from the traditional diet to highly-processed and calorie-dense foods and beverages, and an increasing prevalence of childhood overweight/obesity (ow/ob). The goal of this study is to describe the patterns of ow/ob in a longitudinal sample of Vietnamese children from ages 1 to 8, and the sociodemographic and behavioral factors associated with ow/ob at age 8.
Methods: This study is a secondary data analysis of a geographically-representative, longitudinal cohort of 1961 Vietnamese children from the Young Lives Cohort Study from 2002 to 2009.
Mastitis is the most prevalent and economically important disease caused by different etiological agents, which leads to increased somatic cell count (SCC) and low milk quality. Treating mastitis cases with antimicrobials is essential to reduce SCC and improve milk quality. Non-prudent use of antimicrobials in dairy farms increased the development of antimicrobial resistant bacteria.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStudies demonstrate that dental providers value effective provider-patient communication but use few recommended communication techniques. This study explored perspectives of California dental providers and oral health literacy experts in the United States on use of communication techniques. We conducted a qualitative key informant interview study with 50 participants between November 2019 and March 2020, including 44 dental providers (dentists, hygienists, and assistants) in public or private practice in California and 6 oral health literacy (OHL) experts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFColorectal cancer is one of the more common forms of cancer in South Asian men and women. Despite the rates of colorectal cancer (CRC) in South Asians, the CRC screening rates remain low in South Asians and Muslims compared with those in Whites and other ethnic minorities in the USA. Religious and cultural barriers have been examined in relation to other types of cancer such as breast and cervical cancers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF: Specific work processes and management structures that contribute to high rates of occupational illness and injury in agricultural industries are not well described in academic literature. This qualitative study of work organization in the U.S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCulturally-tailored interventions increase rates of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening in diverse populations. South Asian Americans have very low rates of CRC screening. Targeted interventions may improve community awareness and likelihood of undergoing screening.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
July 2019
The global nutrition transition has contributed to child obesity and dental caries in developing countries, including Vietnam. Few studies have described the nutrition and oral health of mothers and children. This a descriptive study of the nutrition and oral health characteristics of a convenience sample of 571 children aged 2 to 5 years and their mothers from 5 urban preschools in Central and South Vietnam.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Health Care Poor Underserved
September 2019
Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates are low among South Asians. Understanding barriers and facilitators about CRC screening among South Asians may inform effective messaging and interventions.
Methods: We conducted eight focus groups (FGs) among South Asians to gather contextual information about CRC causes, screening barriers and facilitators, and cultural factors affecting screening.
Korean Americans (KA) face a significant burden of health disparities. However, limited data are available on their health needs. This health needs assessment includes a community-based sample of 342 KA from the San Francisco Bay Area.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Accountable care organizations (ACOs) have increased their use of patient activation and engagement strategies, but it is unknown whether they achieve better outcomes for patients with comorbid chronic physical and mental health conditions.
Objectives: To assess the extent to which practices with patient-centered cultures, greater shared decision-making strategies, and better coordination among team members have better patient-reported outcomes (PROs) for patients with diabetes and/or cardiovascular and comorbid mental health diagnoses.
Research Design: Sixteen practices randomly selected from top and bottom quartiles of a 39-item patient activation/engagement implementation survey of primary care team members (n=411) to assess patient-centered culture, shared decision-making, and relational coordination among team members.
Objectives: In 2011, the California Right Care Initiative implemented a countywide physician organization learning collaborative called University of Best Practices (UBP) in San Diego County for major healthcare systems and physician organizations to share best practices in managing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular risk factors. Our objective was to examine whether UBP was associated with fewer hospitalizations for heart attacks and strokes.
Study Design: A quasi-experimental design was used to compare age-adjusted adult hospitalization rates before UBP initiation (2007-2010) against rates after UBP initiation (2011-2014) in San Diego County versus the rest of California.
Objectives: The objectives of this study were to (1) identify available training programs for emergency response personnel and public health professionals on addressing the needs of Deaf and hard of hearing individuals and older adults, (2) identify strategies to improve these training programs, and (3) identify gaps in available training programs and make recommendations for addressing these gaps.
Methods: A literature review was conducted to identify relevant training programs and identify lessons learned. Interviews were conducted by telephone or email with key informants who were subject matter experts who worked with Deaf and hard of hearing persons (n=11) and older adults (n=11).
Objectives: The authors explored the factors influencing risk perception and perceived self-efficacy before and during an emergency for deaf and hard-of-hearing (Deaf/HH) seniors and young adults.
Methods: The authors collected demographic survey data and conducted four focus groups with 38 Deaf/HH residents of the San Francisco Bay Area; two groups were with young adults (ages 18-35), including one group of college students and one group of young professionals, and two were with older adults (ages 50-90).
Results: Significant differences were found between Deaf/HH young adults and seniors in both the sources of self-efficacy and risk perception and their attitudes toward preparedness.
J Racial Ethn Health Disparities
February 2018
South Asians-individuals with origins in the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and other regions of the subcontinent-are an understudied and at-risk racial/ethnic minority population for disproportionate burden of preventable diseases in the USA. Notwithstanding lack of research disaggregating Asian American subgroups, a key factor in this paucity of data is the lack of participation and engagement of community members in studies which examine distribution and determinants of adverse health outcomes. The purpose of this case study series is to elucidate distinct barriers in recruitment of South Asians in health disparities research within four diverse study designs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: The authors explored the factors influencing risk perception and perceived self-efficacy before and during an emergency for deaf and hard-of-hearing (Deaf/HH) seniors and young adults.
Methods: The authors collected demographic survey data and conducted four focus groups with 38 Deaf/HH residents of the San Francisco Bay Area; two groups were with young adults (ages 18-35), including one group of college students and one group of young professionals, and two were with older adults (ages 50-90).
Results: Significant differences were found between Deaf/HH young adults and seniors in both the sources of self-efficacy and risk perception and their attitudes toward preparedness.
Background: The growing movement toward more accountable care delivery and the increasing number of people with chronic illnesses underscores the need for primary care practices to engage patients in their own care.
Objective: For adult primary care practices seeing patients with diabetes and/or cardiovascular disease, we examined the relationship between selected practice characteristics, patient engagement, and patient-reported outcomes of care.
Design: Cross-sectional multilevel observational study of 16 randomly selected practices in two large accountable care organizations (ACOs).