The overall objectives of this Research Demonstration and Dissemination project are to complete a unique epidemiologic study of asthma in a Vietnamese population and to develop and evaluate appropriate health education and intervention programs for this culturally distinct Southeast Asian community.
The specific aims are to: 1) estimate the prevalence of asthma among Vietnamese refugees in San Diego, California; 2) complete a case-control study of risk factors for asthma in this population; 3) obtain information about culture specific health beliefs and practices regarding asthma among Vietnamese; and 4) develop and evaluate culture sensitive medical educational materials including an instructional videotape and simulated patient cases. The project is based on an on-going study, the first systematic investigation of asthma in a Vietnamese population. It was developed initially as part of an Asthma and Allergic Disease Cooperative Research Center (AADCRC) at the University of California, San Diego begun in September, 1991. This application is an attempt to complete and continue development of this highly successful project that has great potential for gaining new knowledge about asthma in this population. It can also serve as a excellent resource for developing asthma based cross-cultural educational materials and culture sensitive interventions.The study is being conducted in conjunction with the Health Screening Clinic run by the Department of Refugee & Immigrant Services of the Catholic Charities in San Diego. This Clinic has been contracted to provide screening health services for all refugees into San Diego for the past nine years. The patients are representative of the refugee populations in San Diego. We are currently utilizing the Clinic to obtain prevalence estimates of asthma among Vietnamese refugees and to identify cases and controls for the case-control study. We believe that this study will provide important, new information about the epidemiology of asthma, health beliefs and practices, and risk factors in this different and previously unstudied large, ethnic, inner-city population in the U.S., and will provide a basis for development of appropriate health education and intervention programs.
| Ries, A L; Picchi, M A; Nguyen, L H et al. (1997) Asthma in a Vietnamese refugee population. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 155:1895-901 |
