When Community Calls, We Collaborate! Community-Based Participatory Research With the Multilanguage Montagnard...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Community-Based Participatory Research
• Indigenous Health

Background:

• Montagnard refugees, indigenous Vietnamese people, face lifestyle changes and resettlement challenges in the U.S.
• These factors contribute to chronic health conditions, yet foundational research and health data are scarce.
• Lack of specific health data hinders targeted interventions for this population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the Montagnard Hypertension Study, a community-based participatory research (CBPR) project.
• To document chronic disease risk factors within the Montagnard community.
• To establish a foundation for future health research and interventions.

Main Methods:

• Developed a Montagnard-specific hypertension terminology dictionary.
• Conducted two focus group discussions (FGD).
• Performed 131 biological assessments (BP, height, weight, waist circumference, hair/saliva samples) and 127 behavioral surveys.
• Organized two community health fairs offering health services.

Main Results:

• This is the first study to examine chronic disease in Montagnard health using a CBPR framework.
• Identified key lessons learned regarding community engagement, capacity building, and addressing historical/current conflicts.
• Highlighted the iterative processes essential for successful CBPR design in this population.

Conclusions:

• Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is a feasible approach for studying chronic disease risk in indigenous tribal communities.
• Findings have implications for research with Asian American subgroups and other minority populations.
• The study provides a model for culturally sensitive health research and intervention development.