Journal of Community Health
Volume 39, Issue 1, 2014, Pages 1-10

Primary prevention for resettled refugees from Burma: Where to begin? (Article)

Haley H.-L.* , Walsh M. , Tin Maung N.H. , Savage C.P. , Cashman S.
  • a Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, MA 01655, United States
  • b Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center, 19 Tacoma St, Worcester, MA 01605, United States
  • c Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 200 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, United States
  • d Common Pathways, CHNA 8, Worcester Healthy Communities Coalition, 54 Elm Street, Worcester, MA 01609, United States
  • e Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, MA 01655, United States

Abstract

Developing effective primary prevention initiatives may help recently arrived refugees retain some of their own healthy cultural habits and reduce the tendency to adopt detrimental ones. This research explores recent arrivals' knowledge regarding eating behaviors, physical activity and sleep habits. Working collaboratively with community members, a healthy living curriculum was adapted and pilot tested in focus groups. A community-engaged approach to revising and implementing a health promotion tool was effective in beginning dialogue about primary prevention among a group of recently arrived refugees from Burma. Seven themes were identified as particularly relevant: food choices, living environment, health information, financial stress, mobility/ transportation, social interaction and recreation, and hopes and dreams. Refugees desire more specific information about nutrition and exercise, and they find community health workers an effective medium for delivering this information. The outcomes of this study may inform future targeted interventions for health promotion with refugees from Burma. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York.

Author Keywords

Refugee health Healthy eating Community-based participatory research prevention physical activity

Index Keywords

cultural anthropology refugee sleep Interpersonal Relations psychological aspect exercise Massachusetts human Health Behavior Refugees statistics diet Environment ethnology human relation United States income Humans oriental medicine male female primary prevention Myanmar Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice Article adult participatory research Community-Based Participatory Research Medicine, East Asian Traditional attitude to health Culture
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84893683273&doi=10.1007%2fs10900-013-9732-7&partnerID=40&md5=0c9645ca69d90eb1bd056e8443734050
DOI: 10.1007/s10900-013-9732-7
ISSN: 00945145
Cited by: 4
Original Language: English