Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Exhibit Hall Poster Area 2 (Convention Center)
Chronic illness is a long time permanent event in a person's life (Bury, 2006). Fiji Indian's are a unique population from the Fiji Islands whose history stems from colonial India. Indian immigrants were brought to Fiji as indentured laborers. The influx of emigration among Fiji Indians to America over the past 40 years has shown a rise of the Fiji Indian community living among the west coast states of the United States. Fiji Indians living in California are facing an unprecedented rise of chronic illnesses. The purpose of this project is to examine the lifestyle factors that are related to chronic illness among the Fiji Indian community living in America. This project will be carried on by using a survey instrument developed using the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) and The Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance System (BRFSS, CDC), and quick intercepts Key Informant interviews. Approximately 100 men and women will be completing the 30 questionnaire survey provided in Hindi and English. Participants will be approached at the Fiji Festival 2010 event held in Hayward, California. High rise of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, alcohol and tobacco use persists in the Fiji Indian community. These are related to life stressors of common immigrant experiences related to acculturation, experiencing financial hardships, living in unsafe neighborhoods, lack of health insurances and resources, and family problems. Thus, this indicates that health promotion and education must be supported for the unprecedented experiences of the Fiji Indian community in a culturally appropriate manner.