Abstract
The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study is to better understand the dietary experiences and attitudes of Tongan Americans that contribute to the disproportionate rates of obesity and other chronic diseases to inform culturally tailored health strategies to address the high incidences. The study utilizes the principles of a grounded theoretical approach to understanding the lived experiences of Tongan American adults. The methodology includes semi-structured interviews with 12 Tongan Americans (six men, six women). The findings indicate that there are complex behaviors involved with dietary behaviors. Thus, there were various nuances between the Tongan American dietary behaviors and the facilitators and barriers to adopting healthy dietary behaviors among Tongan American adults, including variables at the individual, environmental, sectoral, and socio-cultural levels, as the framework. In this study, the findings show that the barriers to healthy dietary behaviors include (1) home and physical environment, (2) convenience, (3) time management, (4) stress, (5) health literacy, and (6) the media; and the facilitators include (1) social support, (2) family meals, (3) meal planning and preparation, (4) individual health benefits, and (5) resiliency. Further findings suggest the importance of considering social, structural, and cultural contexts when engaging Tongan American populations and formulating preventive strategies. Therefore, research efforts and intervention initiatives aimed at preventing health disparities among Tongan Americans should be adaptable, innovative, multi-component, and multi-faceted, and should be culturally tailored to meet the needs of Tongan Americans.
Presenters
Victor KaufusiStudent, PhD, Brigham Young University, Hawaii, United States Moniqueca Kaufusi
Adjunct Professor, School of Business, Brigham Young University-Hawai'i, Hawaii, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
KEYWORDS
Healthy Dietary Behaviors, Tongan-Americans
