Cultural Perceptions of Health in Asian Indian Adults

To gain an understanding of the cultural perceptions of health among Asian Indian adults in an urban setting.

Qualitative semistructured interviews.

Midwest urban community PARTICIPANTS: Asian Indian adults (n = 20) aged ≥25 years, who self-identified as 100% Asian Indian descent.

Individual interviews were conducted by a trained interviewer to assess cultural perceptions of health.

Transcript analysis was performed by 2 independent coders using verbatim transcripts. Content analysis was used to identify themes using a grounded theory approach.

The salient themes that emerged were a cultural definition of health, acculturation, mental health, and health information. Participants believed good health was associated with the ability to perform daily activities, regular exercise, and eating well. There was a lack of awareness of Asian Indian-specific body mass index categories and that overweight and obesity were an important risk factor for chronic diseases.

These data provide a context for health promotion efforts and underscore a gap in awareness of risk factors risk for chronic diseases among the Asian Indian community. Culturally specific interventions targeted at the Asian Indian population, considering their worldview and perceptions of health, will help address this important public health concern.