Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in the United States as well as in many countries around the world, including Vietnam.
Methods:
Using data from a household survey of Vietnamese American women aged 20–79 years in Seattle, Washington, collected in 2006 and 2007, we examined heart disease prevention practices. Multivariable analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between demographic factors and preventive behaviors.
Results:
A total of 1523 immigrant women completed interviews. The average daily consumption of fruits and vegetables was 3.5 servings, and 31% of our sample reported being physically active (engaging in at least 30 minutes of physical activity 5 or more days per week). Few respondents reported being current smokers (1.5%). Over three quarters of women had received a recent blood pressure check and a recent cholesterol check. Age and length of time in the United States were strongly associated with several cardiovascular prevention behaviors.
Conclusions:
Our findings confirm the need for continued efforts to develop and implement targeted educational campaigns to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease among Vietnamese American women.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
U.S. Census Bureau. We the people: Asians in the United States. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, December2004.
2.
DuongDA, BohannonAS, RossMC. A descriptive study of hypertension in Vietnamese Americans. J Community Health Nurs, 2001; 18:1–11.
3.
GrundySM, PasternakR, GreenlandP, SmithSJr, FusterV. Assessment of cardiovascular risk by use of multiple-risk-factor assessment equations: A statement for healthcare professionals from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology. Circulation, 1999; 100:1481–1492.
4.
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Guide to clinical preventive services: Screening for breast cancer. Baltimore: Wiliams & Wilkins, 2002.
5.
U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dietary guidelines for Americans 2005. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2005.
6.
Joint National Commission on Detection Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure. The Fifth Report of the Joint National Commission on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure. Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health, 1993.
7.
Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Cholesterol in Adults. Third Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel)Bethesda, MD: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 2001.
8.
BalujaKF, ParkJ, MyersD. Inclusion of immigrant status in smoking prevalence statistics. Am J Public Health, 2003; 93:642–646.
9.
BatesSR, HillL, Barrett-ConnorE. Cardiovascular disease risk factors in an Indochinese population. Am J Prev Med, 1989; 5:15–20.
10.
ChenMSJr. The status of tobacco cessation research for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Asian Am Pac Isl J Health, 2001; 9:61–65.
11.
MaGX, TanY, FeeleyRM, ThomasP. Perceived risks of certain types of cancer and heart disease among Asian American smokers and non-smokers. J Community Health, 2002; 27:233–246.
12.
XuY, RossMC, RyanR, WangB. Cancer risk factors of Vietnamese Americans in rural south Alabama. J Nurs Scholarship, 2005; 37:237–244.
13.
McPheeSJ, BirdJA, DavisT, HaNT, JenkinsCN, LeB. Barriers to breast and cervical cancer screening among Vietnamese-American women. Am J Prev Med, 1997; 13:205–213.
14.
TaylorVM, HislopTG, YasuiY, TuSP. Community-based breast and cervical cancer control research in Asian immigrant populations. Wiley encyclopedia of clinical trials. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2007.
15.
LauderdaleDS, KestenbaumB. Asian American ethnic identification by surname. Popul Res Policy Rev, 2000; 19:283–300.
16.
NguyenT, McPheeS, NguyenT, LamT, MockJ. Predictors of cervical Pap smear screening awareness, intention, and receipt among Vietnamese American women. Am J Prev Med, 2002; 23:207–214.
17.
EremencoS, CellaD, ArnoldB. A comprehensive method for the translation and cross-cultural validation of health status questionnaires. Eval Health Professsions, 2005; 28:212–232.
18.
WildD, GroveA, MartinMet al.Principles of good practice for the translation and cultural adaptation process for patient-reported outcomes (PRO) measures: Report of the ISPOR Task Force for Translation and Cultural Adaptation. Value Health, 2005; 8:94–104.
19.
ThompsonB, Demark-WahnefriedW, TaylorGet al.Baseline fruit and vegetable intake among adults in seven 5 a day study centers located in diverse geographic areas. J Am Diet Assoc, 1999; 99:1241–1248.
20.
RosnerB. Fundamentals of biostatistics. Boston: Duxbury, 2000.
21.
BreslowNS, DayNE. Statistical methods in cancer research. Volume 1: The analysis of case-control studies. Lyon: International Agency for Research on Cancer, 1980.
22.
HoangVM, DaoLH, WallS, NguyenTK, ByassP. Cardiovascular disease mortality and its association with socioeconomic status: Findings from a population-based cohort study in rural Vietnam, 1999–2003. Prev Chronic Dis, 2006; 3,A89:1–11.
23.
LiaoY, TuckerP, OkoroCA, GilesWH, MokdadAH, HarrisVB. REACH 2010 surveillance for health status in minority communities—United States, 2001–2002. MMWR Surveill Summ, 2004; 53:1–36.
24.
Health status of Cambodians and Vietnamese—Selected communities, United States, 2001–2002. MMWR, 2004; 53:760–765.
25.
Washington State Department of Health. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System: Turning information into health. fortress.wa.gov/doh/brfss/.
26.
Centers for Disease Control Prevention. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. cdc.gov/brfss. 2007 August 30.
27.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Cardiovascular risk in the Vietnamese community: Formative research from Houston, Texas. Washington, DC: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 2003.
28.
Cigarette smoking among Chinese, Vietnamese, and Hispanics—California, 1989–1991. MMWR, 1992; 41:362–367.
29.
KimSS, ZiedonisD, ChenKW. Tobacco use and dependence in Asian Americans: A review of the literature. Nicotine Tobacco Res, 2007; 9:169–184.
30.
StewartSH, SilversteinMD. Racial and ethnic disparity in blood pressure and cholesterol measurement. J Gen Intern Med, 2002; 17:405–411.
31.
TaylorVM, YasuiY, BurkeN, ChoeJH, AcordaE, JacksonJC. Hepatitis B knowledge and testing among Vietnamese-American women. Ethn Dis, 2005; 15:761–767.
32.
EcheverriaSE, CarrasquilloO. The roles of citizenship status, acculturation, and health insurance in breast and cervical cancer screening among immigrant women. Med Care, 2006; 44:788–792.
33.
FuSS, MaGX, TuXM, SiuPT, MetlayJP. Cigarette smoking among Chinese Americans and the influence of linguistic acculturation. Nicotine Tobacco Res, 2003; 5:803–811.
34.
KlatskyAL, ArmstrongMA. Cardiovascular risk factors among Asian Americans living in northern California. Am J Public Health, 1991; 81:1423–1428.
35.
MaxwellAE, BernaardsCA, McCarthyWJ. Smoking prevalence and correlates among Chinese- and Filipino-American adults: Findings from the 2001 California Health Interview Survey. Prev Med, 2005; 41:693–699.
36.
HofstetterCR, HovellMF, LeeJet al.Tobacco use and acculturation among Californians of Korean descent: A behavioral epidemiological analysis. Nicotine Tobacco Res, 2004; 6:481–489.
37.
LeeSK, SobalJ, FrongilloEAJr. Acculturation and health in Korean Americans. Soc Sci Med, 2000; 51:159–173.
