title: Addressing the Health Needs of High-Risk Filipino Americans in the Greater Philadelphia Region.
abstract: Filipino Americans represent one of the largest and most diverse immigrant populations in the United States. It has been established that chronic diseases are a significant public health issue affecting this population. We conducted a health needs assessment of 200 Filipino Americans aged 18 years or older residing in the greater Philadelphia region. Study participants were recruited from eight Filipino community-based organizations in the region. Information about demographic and acculturative characteristics, health behaviors, self-reported chronic health conditions, and chronic disease perception were collected. Participants were older and highly acculturated. With regards to health behaviors, several did not meet dietary fruit and vegetables intake and physical activity guidelines. The top five health conditions were high blood pressure (67.5 %), high blood cholesterol (57.1 %), arthritis (28.9 %), diabetes (21.8 %), and cancer (14.7 %). Majority of participants perceived high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and diabetes to be a concern in their community, and had high awareness of the risk factors associated with these diseases. Reported rates of hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes suggest that lifestyle interventions targeting diet and physical activity, in addition to health education, are needed in this population.
authors.affiliation: Center for Asian Health, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, 19122-0843, USA.
authors.forename: Aisha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bhimla
authors.affiliation: Center for Asian Health, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, 19122-0843, USA.
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yap
authors.affiliation: Center for Asian Health, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, 19122-0843, USA.
authors.forename: Minsun
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Center for Asian Health, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, 19122-0843, USA.
authors.forename: Brenda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Seals
authors.affiliation: Center for Asian Health, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, 19122-0843, USA.|Filipino American Society of South Jersey, Inc., Sicklerville, NJ, USA.|Filipino Executive Council of Greater Philadelphia, Inc., Mount Laurel, NJ, USA.
authors.forename: Hermie
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Aczon
authors.affiliation: Center for Asian Health, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, 19122-0843, USA. grace.ma@temple.edu.
authors.forename: Grace X
authors.initials: GX
authors.lastname: Ma
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001213:Asian / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology; D004032:Diet / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment; D015143:Philadelphia / Q000453:epidemiology; D010679:Philippines / Q000208:ethnology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Community health; Dietary behaviors; Filipino; Needs assessment; Noncommunicable diseases