Grant: Partnerships for Health System Improvement (PHSI)

South Asians are known to have a significant higher prevalence of hypertension than Caucasians. They are also at an elevated risk for premature coronary artery disease and are 3 to 5 times more likely to have diabetes than Caucasians due to an increased prevalence of abdominal obesity, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. The Cardiovascular Health Awareness Program (CHAP) is a patient-centred, interdisciplinary, multi-pronged, community-led CVD and stroke prevention and management program targeted at older adults. We propose to use a participatory research approach to adapt CHAP to the needs and realities of a South Asian community in the York region (Ontario), and develop, in partnership with knowledge-users, an integrated knowledge translation plan to disseminate the findings in order to have an impact on programs and policy. The main research question of this project is: What adaptation strategies to the Cardiovascular Health Awareness Program (CHAP) should be put in place in order to successfully prevent and manage chronic disease among the South Asian community? More specifically, how can we address gender and ethno-specific impacts? What are the best strategies to optimize the recruitment, retention and health promotion role of health champions among the South Asian Community?