Faith in Action Research Alliance: Reducing diabetes among Pacific Islanders

项目概述：2型糖尿病的流行是一个全球性的健康问题，在包括北马里亚纳群岛（CNMI）在内的美国太平洋联合群岛（USAPI）尤为严重CNMI的糖尿病患病率为34%，是美国糖尿病患病率（8%）的四倍。与一般人群相比，生活在美国的2-4太平洋岛民也面临着更大的糖尿病负担。根据少数民族健康办公室的数据，夏威夷原住民和其他太平洋岛民的糖尿病发病率（20.6%）高于白人（6.4%）虽然在夏威夷和太平洋地区有糖尿病预防和管理项目，但由于缺乏针对太平洋地区受众的量身定制，成功程度有限尽管有许多建议（11-18）将太平洋文化结构（包括灵性）纳入健康干预措施，但据我们所知，在CNMI或太平洋地区还没有研究将这些文化结构纳入糖尿病预防和管理。为了解决太平洋地区的研究需要，太平洋慢性病联盟与夏威夷和太平洋地区的信仰社区联盟之间建立了一种创新的伙伴关系。这个新的伙伴关系，也被称为信仰行动研究联盟（FARA），选择了爱荷华大学作为他们的科学合作伙伴，并选择了CNMI和夏威夷作为这个研究项目的两个地点。这项研究也将受益于来自信仰和医学界的专家。我们的目标是使用社会认知理论、扎根理论和基于社区的参与性研究（CBPR）过程来协助开发一个创新的基于文化的概念框架，该框架解释了文化、宗教、家庭和糖尿病预防和控制等结构之间的关系。这一框架将有助于设计未来的糖尿病预防和控制干预措施。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Project Summary: The type 2 diabetes epidemic is a global health issue that is especially severe in the United States Associated Pacific Islands (USAPI) including the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).1 The prevalence rate of diabetes in the CNMI is 34%, which is four times higher than the US diabetes rate of 8%.2-4 Pacific Islanders living in the U.S also face greater burden of diabetes as compared to the general population.5-7 According to the Office of Minority Health, Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders have a higher rates of diabetes (20.6%) than Whites (6.4%).8 Although there are diabetes prevention and management programs in Hawai'i and the Pacific, success is limited due in part to the lack of tailoring for the Pacific audience.9,10 In spite of numerous recommendations11-18 to incorporate Pacific cultural constructs (including spirituality) into health interventions, to our knowledge, there are no studies in the CNMI or the Pacific that examines the integration of these cultural constructs into diabetes prevention and management. To address the need for research in the Pacific, an innovative partnership was formed between the Pacific Chronic Disease Coalition and faith community coalitions from Hawai'i and the Pacific. This new partnership, also known as Faith in Action Research Alliance (FARA) selected the University of Iowa to be their scientific partner and the CNMI and Hawai'i to be the two sites for this research project. This research will also benefit from experts from the faith and medical community. Our aim is to use the Social Cognitive Theory, Grounded Theory and Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) processes to assist in the development of an innovative culturally based conceptual framework that explains relationships between constructs such as culture, religion, family, and diabetes prevention and control. This framework will assist in the design of future diabetes prevention and control interventions. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Project Narrative Type 2 diabetes disproportionally affects Pacific Islanders. The Faith in Action Research Alliance's aim to reduce the burden of diabetes among Pacific Islanders in Hawaii and the Pacific by conducting Community Based Participatory Research that integrates cultural construct (including region and spirituality) to inform future diabetes prevention and management interventions.