Preference of Health-related Learning Modalities Among Asian Americans in Maricopa County

Abstract

Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial/ethnic group in the United States, with more than 60% of its members being foreign born, and 30% of limited English proficiency. Often perceived as the healthy and wealthy “Model Minority,” Asian Americans in fact suffer disproportionately in a number of areas of health, such as liver cancer and diabetes. There is a paucity of evidence-based interventions specifically adapted for and tested among Asian American to address these health disparities. We therefore aimed to investigate the preferred learning modalities in this population. We utilized a brief questionnaire to investigate how Asian Americans residing in Maricopa County prefer to learn and build skills related to health improvement. The results suggest that there is no dominant preference for learning modalities among Asian Americans; therefore, modalities in both individual and group learning should be offered. The only group that shows a statistically significant preference for individual learning is the respondents with postsecondary education. Consequently, in addition to group interventions such as the Diabetes Prevention Program, researchers should consider developing self-guided training on-line and through printed materials. This initial 4 research will help guide future efforts to educate the Asian American populations on diabetes prevention and other health conditions.