Matching Items (3)
Description
The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship existed between acculturative stress and cardiovascular disease risk factors in Korean immigrants residing in the United States. This is a secondary analysis of existing data that was collected for a cross-sectional, descriptive study of 104 Korean American adults in a large Southwestern city in the U.S. Descriptive statistics, t-test, and analysis of variance were used to analyze data on demographics, acculturative stress, and biomarkers indicative of cardiovascular risk, such as body mass index (BMI), blood pressure (BP), and total cholesterol (TC). Most participants were women (66.3%), with a mean age of 53.59 (SD = 10.42), who were married (89.4%), educated at a college level or above (graduate) level (85.6%), employed full/part-time (64.4%), and had an annual household income of $50,000 or more (62.5%). The average length of residence in the U.S. was 22.04 years (SD = 11.89), Half of the study sample were overweight or obese (BMI > 23 kg/m2), 65.4% with high SBP (≥ 120 mmHg), 75.9% with high DBP (≥ 80 mmHg), and 75% with high TC (≥ 170 mg/dL). Acculturative stress was significantly associated with age, length of residence, and family annual income. Cardiovascular risk factors were significantly different by age, gender, marital status, education level, or employment status. However, the relationship between acculturative stress and cardiovascular risk indicators was not statistically significant. The study findings provide useful information about demographic characteristics, acculturative stress, and cardiovascular health of Korean immigrants in the United States. In order to prevent and manage cardiovascular health of the population, healthcare professionals should consider that cardiovascular risk factors may vary according to demographic characteristics in Korean immigrants.
ContributorsSuh, Bin (Author) / Shin, Cha-Nam (Thesis director) / Dirksen, Shannon (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic disease affecting more than ten percent of the U.S. adults. Approximately 50 percent of people with diabetes fail to achieve glycemic targets of A1C levels below seven percent. Poor glycemic control disproportionately affects minority populations such as Korean Americans (KAs). Successful diabetes self-management requires a comprehensive approach that takes into account depression, sleep, and acculturation to achieve good glycemic control. Therefore, the purposes of this study were to: 1) describe the levels of glycemic control, depressive symptoms, sleep quality and duration, and acculturation; 2) examine an association of depressive symptoms with glycemic control; 3) identify mediational roles of sleep quality and sleep duration of less than 6 hours between depressive symptoms and glycemic control; and 4) explore a moderation role of acculturation between depressive symptoms and glycemic control in KAs with T2DM. This is a cross-sectional, descriptive correlational study. A total of 119 first generation KAs with T2DM were recruited from Korean communities in Arizona. A1C levels, the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Suinn-Lew Asian Self-Identity Acculturation scale, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, and the Berlin Questionnaire were measured. Descriptive statistics, multiple regression analyses, path analyses, and the Sobel tests were conducted for data analyses of this study. Poor glycemic control (A1C ≥ 7 %), high depressive symptoms (CES-D ≥ 16), poor sleep quality (PSQI > 5), and short sleep duration (< 6 hours) were prevalent among KAs with T2DM. The mean score of acculturation (2.18) indicated low acculturation to Western culture. Depressive symptoms were revealed as a significant independent predictor of glycemic control. Physical activity was negatively associated with glycemic control, while cultural identity was positively related to glycemic control. Sleep quality and sleep duration of less than 6 hours did not mediate the relationship between depressive symptoms and glycemic control. Acculturation did not moderate the association between depressive symptoms and glycemic control. Diabetes self-management interventions of a comprehensive approach that considers depressive symptoms, sleep problems, and cultural differences in minority populations with T2DM are needed.
ContributorsJeong, Mihyun (Author) / Reifsnider, Elizabeth G. (Thesis advisor) / Belyea, Michael (Committee member) / Petrov, Megan (Committee member) / Kelly, Lesly (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017
Description
There are few studies on parents' perspectives on multicultural literature. Most studies on Korean American children's literature have relied on the researchers' content analysis of the books, rather than readers' responses to them. To fill this gap, this study sought to understand the Korean/Korean American parents' perspectives on Korean American children's literature by examining their responses to seven picture books on Korean American children. Data were collected for this qualitative study by interviewing ten Koreans/Korean Americans, twice. The first interview focused on stories about their immigration to the U.S., involvement with their children's reading, and experiences reading books related to Korea or Koreans published in the U.S. The second interview focused on their responses to seven Korean American children's literature books. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, coded, and analyzed. The parents' responses, which were infused with their personal, social, and cultural marks, focused on five themes: (a) use of Korean names without specific cultural description, (b) misrepresentation of Korean/Korean American experiences, (c) undesirable illustrations, (d) criteria for good Korean American children's literature, and (e) use of Korean words in English books. The parents' stories about their involvement with their children's reading suggest that to promote multicultural literature, libraries or schools should offer lists of multicultural literature. The parents' responses showed concern about stereotypical images of Korea or Korean American in the U.S. media that often get transferred to stories about Korean Americans in Korean American children's literature. This study confirms the importance of editors and reviewers, who are knowledgeable about the Korean culture and Korean American experience. It also suggests that more books with varied images of Korean Americans, and more stories about Korean Americans children's authentic experiences are necessary in order to represent the complexity and divergence within Korean people and the Korean American culture.
ContributorsKim, Hye-jong (Author) / Smith, Karen (Thesis advisor) / Marsh, Josephine (Thesis advisor) / Edelsky, Carole (Committee member) / Hudelson, Sarah (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013