Intervention Studies Addressing Diabetes and Hypertension Among Filipino-Americans: A Systematic Review

Written by Tammy Kim Nguyen, Jing Wang, & M. Danet Lapiz-Bluhm

doi: https://doi.org/10.13178/jnparr. 2020.10.02.1005

Abstract

Background: Filipino-Americans (FAs) have the highest prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D) among all Asian American (AA) subgroups and non-Hispanic whites, and have early cardiovascular-metabolic disease risk with higher mortality rates. Interventions must be designed to address these significant health issues to reduce disease burden among FAs.

Objective: This systematic review aims to synthesize the research literature on interventional studies for diabetes and hypertension among FAs. Knowledge of these studies will inform the development of innovative and effective approaches to address these prioritized health issues in this vulnerable population.

Methods: Databases, such as CINAHL, Ovid, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Scopus, were searched in April 2020, with a time exclusion of ten years, using the terms, “Filipino American,” “diabetes,” “hypertension,” and “intervention.”

Results: Eleven articles were included. Diabetes intervention studies include Fit&Trim, Pilipino American Go4 Health (PilAm Go4Health), Health is Wealth and the Stanford’s Diabetes Self-Management Program. Intervention studies for hypertension include Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health for Asian Americans (REACH FAR), Project Asian American Partnership in Research and Empowerment (AsPIRE) – Million Hearts©
and The Community Health Worker Health Disparities Initiative. Successful studies engaged the community (i.e., professional, non-proit or faith-based organizations) and used culturally-tailored approaches to improve recruitment, retention and study completion.

Conclusion: Although there are limited intervention studies among FAs, the research evidence provides insightful strategies that can inform the development of future research. A common denominator among successful intervention studies is the engagement of the FA population. Hence, efforts to build capacity and engage FA communities must be a cornerstone of any intervention study among FAs.

Keywords: Filipino-Americans, diabetes, hypertension, systematic review, interventions