Community as a source of health in three racial/ethnic communities in Oregon: a qualitative study

Abstract

BackgroundA 2011 report by the Oregon Health Authority and the Department of Human Services documented disparities in its Latino and American Indian populations on multiple individual-level health indicators. However, research is lacking on the social contexts in which Latinos and American Indians in Oregon live and how these environments influence the health of communities as a whole. To help fill this gap, this study sought to contextualize the social environments that influence the health of Latinos and American Indian residents in three Oregon communities.MethodsGuided by an ecological framework, we conducted one-time semi-structured qualitative interviews with 26 study participants to identify the prominent health-related issues in the communities and to examine the factors that study participants perceived as enabling or inhibiting healthy lifestyles of community residents. We used a grounded theory approach to perform content and thematic analyses of the data.ResultsStudy participants identified preventable chronic conditions, such as diabetes, obesity, and hypertension, as the most pressing health concerns in their communities. Results showed that traditional and cultural activities and strong family and community cohesion were viewed as facilitators of good community health. Poverty, safety concerns, insufficient community resources, and discrimination were perceived as barriers to community health. Three themes emerged from the thematic analyses: social connectedness is integral to health; trauma has an ongoing negative impact on health; and invisibility of residents in the community underlies poor health.ConclusionsThis study’s findings provide insight to the social contexts which operate in the lives of some Latinos and American Indians in Oregon. While participants identified community-level factors as important to health, they focused more on the social connections of individuals to each other and the relationships that residents have with their communities at-large. Our findings may also help to explain how the intra- and inter-personal levels, the community/institutional level, and the macro level/public policy contexts can serve to influence health in these communities. For example, trauma and invisibility are not routinely examined in community health assessment and improvement planning activities; nonetheless, these factors appear to be at play affecting the health of residents.

Barriers and facilitators to healthy eating and disease self-management among older adults residing in subsidized housing

“…The majority of participants expressed an interest for learning new recipes as a way to facilitate enhanced nutrition knowledge; and expressed enthusiasm when discovering that culturally relevant foods could be adapted to meet nutrition recommendations. In support of our findings, Mendez-Luck et al (2015) reported that incorporating traditional and cultural activities into health programs led to positive health-improving practices among residents of three different racial/ethnic communities. Further, participants specified that preparing traditional meals specific to their culture was beneficial to health promotion because the meals reinforced their cultural context.…”

“…For example, Izumi et al (2015) evaluated the associations of health behaviors and social cohesion on participation in a walking program among racially and ethnically diverse adults in a low-income community and found that social cohesion was significantly associated with consistent participation in community health programming. In another study that investigated the influence of social environments on the health of Latinos and American Indian residents in three Oregon communities, social cohesion was viewed as being integral to health (Mendez-Luck, et al, 2015). Findings were two-fold in that study.…”

Young internal migrants’ major health issues and health seeking barriers in Shanghai, China: a qualitative study

“…There are evidences that the availability of support from multiple sources will enhance migrants’ adjustment in the host city [ 21 , 44 , 45 ]. Though family support is important, it normally is not there.…”

Early Care and Education Teacher’s Role in Obesity Prevention and Healthy Development of Young American Indian Children

“…Tribally affiliated ECE centers may serve multiple tribes and may not be limited to only AI children. We found that participants were generally aware of the community in which the ECE was located and had a distinctive connection and respect for the parents of the children in their care (Mendez-Luck, Bethel, Goins, Schure, & McDermott, 2015).…”