Abstract
Over the past two decades, the quality of the Tongan-American diet has become of increasing concern to researchers, health professionals, and within the Tongan American communities. Obesity and non-communicable diseases have increased among this population in the last 20 years with obesity now being considered to be an epidemic among Tongan-Americans. Likewise, Tongans have the fifth highest percentage of obese people in the world. In addition, the prevalence of diabetes among Tongan-American adults is also twice as high (21%) as compared to the U.S. population (10%). These health disparities could be addressed by exploring the experiences with dietary behaviors among this population given the link between dietary behaviors and obesity and other chronic diseases such as diabetes. Thus, the purpose of this 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 in an effort to inform culturally tailored health strategies to address the high incidences.
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
2021 Special Focus—Advancing Health and Equity: Best Practices in an International Perspective
KEYWORDS
Indigenous Health Disparities, Health Research, Culturally Relevant Research
