Ideal body image and health status in low-income Pacific Islanders.

Abstract: Purpose of this descriptive study was to examine the relationship between ideal body image and family support in Pacific Islander. The subjects were 120 residences (65 with diabetes and 55 without diabetes) of a housing project in Hawaii. Data were collected by interview using the following questionnaires: The Family Behavior Checklist, the Modified Body Image Questionnaire, the Diabetes Knowledge Scale, and demography. Variables of primary interest included the subjects' ideal body image, serum level of glycosylated hemoglobin, hypertension, family support behaviors, ethnicity, and knowledge of diabetes. Findings indicated that the majority of subjects perceived receiving family support in the diet regimen, but not in the areas of glucose self-monitoring, exercise, or medication. The subjects' knowledge level regarding diabetes scored low. Subjects perceived that families lacked knowledge of diabetes. Metabolic control significantly correlated with present age, sources of health insurance, presence of diabetes, and the feeling of ideal body image according to non-Western culture. Subjects had different standards of ideal body image depending on whether they identified with a Western culture or with a non-Western culture. Conclusions: Presence of hypertension and diabetes were associated multiple environmental factors (e.g. family support, knowledge of diabetes and number of children per household) as well as cultural value (e.g. ideal body image). Findings provide diabetes educators with information regarding the ideal body image among low-income Pacific Islanders. It implies the importance of assessing the individual's perceptions of ideal body image according to his or her cultural values prior to developing regimens for diabetes or hypertension. Keywords: Pacific Islanders, Low Income, Ideal Body Image and Health Status Environmental factors increase the risk for developing certain diseases. For example, obesity is an alterable risk factor, but might be not an independent one for the development of diabetes and hypertension. The effects of obesity on the diseases probably interrelated with socioeconomic and cultural factors. Low-income Pacific Islander in Hawaii faces the challenge of acculturation, assimilation, modernization, and often times lower socio-economic status. For example: Residents of Kuhio Park Terrace (A housing project for low-income families) in Hawaii include Pacific Islanders, Native Americans, Portugeses, and Asian Americans. Sixty percent of them have Medicare, Medicaid, or a state funded program (Quest) as their health insurance. The degree of acculturation may vary widely among individuals. Age-adjusted type 2 diabetes prevalence in Native Hawaiians was 4 times higher than among the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) II population. Impaired glucose tolerance among Native Hawaiians was significantly associated with body mass index (Grandinetti, Chang, Mau, Curb, Kinney, Sagum, & Arakaki, 1998). Sixty-six percent of Native Hawaiians were overweight or obese (Mau, Grandinetti, Arakaki, Chang, Kinney, & Curb, 1997). However, overweight Pacific Islanders did not perceive themselves as obese and were positive about their body size, weight and health (Brewis, McGarvey, Jones, & Swinburn, 1998). Education and dissemination of information/ knowledge about the relationship of obesity to diabetes and hypertension through appropriate techniques could result in a reduction in the risk for the development of cardiovascular disease and diabetes for individuals of all socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds. The purpose of this study was to examine the characteristics of family support, ideal body image, and health status in low-income Pacific Islanders. Research questions included: (1) What were the subjects' perceptions of ideal body image based on their own culture? (2) What were the subjects' perceptions of ideal body image based on their understanding of the Western culture? …