Project SAHNA (South Asian Health Needs Assessment):What is Project SAHNA:Project SAHNA is a collaborative research project at the GW School of Public Health and Health Services led by faculty, students, and alumni committed to addressing the health and well being of South Asians living in the United States. Project SAHNA is the first step in developing a better understanding of the health needs of South Asians in the Washington DC metropolitan area. Project SAHNA surveyed South Asians living in the Washington, DC metropolitan area to assess health needs, behavior, attitudes, and perceptions of South Asians living in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. The results of this survey will help identify the gaps, needs and health priorities for South Asians and will hopefully lead to more programs, funding and visibility of the South Asian population. For more information, click here (SAHNA REPORT 2010) The Diabetes Prevention Study (DPS) The SAHNA Project found that only 29% of South Asians are engaging in the recommended amount of physical activity per week. Furthermore, South Asian Americans who are less acculturated are less likely to engage in physical activity and males are more likely to eat fast food. Prior to this study, we conducted a 2008 qualitative study (Chaudhury and Vyas) of 60 community-based organizations serving SAA in the U.S. and found that none focused on T2DM or its related health behaviors.  These preliminary studies are important for several reasons: 1) the investigators developed relationships with several key South Asian community and faith based organizations, 2) the investigators were able to utilize both web and community-based venues to recruit over 700 participants, and 3) the descriptive data provided preliminary evidence on the lack of physical activity in this community. From these studies and other literature reviews it is without question that the U.S. is facing an epidemic of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). South Asians are four times more likely to develop T2DM and more alarming is the presence of T2DM among South Asian children over the last two decades. Given this trend, the need to provide cost effective prevention programs for families is crucial for population health and to control health care costs. The NIH funded Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) found that a lifestyle intervention could delay the onset of T2DM compared to a pharmacologic agent, and recent efforts have focused on translating the DPP. However, the validity of translating an effective lifestyle intervention for different ethnic groups is uncertain given differential cultural, linguistic, and social factors. This pilot project brings together an interdisciplinary team of experts to conduct mixed methods research to examine physical activity and nutrition among South Asian American (SAA) families in the Washington D.C. region. This formative study will 1) recruit 100 SAA parents and assess T2DM risk, physical activity and nutrition behaviors, as well as their children’s physical activity and nutrition behaviors and 2) recruit a subset of 40 SAA parents to further explore cultural risks and barriers. The funding for this pilot project (DPS) is being provided by the Clinical and Translational Science Institute at Children’s National (CTSI-CN). The project described was supported by Award Number UL1RR031988 from the National Center for Research Resources. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Center for Research Resources or the National Institutes of Health. The key personnel involved with the project are Dr. Amita N. Vyas, Principal Investigator of the proposed study and Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Prevention and Community Health, GW; Dr. Loretta DiPietro, Professor and Chair, Dept. of Exercise Science, GW; Dr. Kalpana Ramiah, Research Scientist, Dept. of Prevention and Community Health, GW; Dr. Jean L. Gutierrez, Visiting Assistant Professor, Dept. of Exercise Science, GW; and Ms. Nitasha Chaudhary, Community Engagement consultant.
Contact Information:Amita Vyas, PhD Kalpana Ramiah, DrPH Nitasha Chaudhary, MPH Shrid Dhungel, MPH |
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