When Community Calls, We Collaborate! Community-Based Participatory Research With the Multilanguage Montagnard Refugee Community

Background: Montagnard refugees, an indigenous multilingual tribal people from Vietnam, experience lifestyle changes and post-resettlement challenges in the United States that contribute to chronic health conditions. Foundational research and health data are lacking.

Objectives: We describe the Montagnard Hypertension Study, a community-based participatory research (CBPR) project documenting chronic disease risk.

Methods: We developed a Montagnard dictionary of hypertension-specific terminology and conducted two focus group discussions (FGD), 131 biological assessments (blood pressure, height, weight, waist circumference, scalp hair and saliva sample collection), and 127 behavioral surveys. We implemented two health fairs that offered services to the community.

Lessons Learned: This is the first study to examine chronic disease using a CBPR framework for Montagnard health. We highlight lessons learned specific to constituents and their capacities, historical and current conflicts, and the iterative processes in CBPR design.

Conclusions: CBPR is a practically achievable approach to studying chronic disease risk within indigenous, tribal communities, with implications for future research with Asian American subgroups and other minority populations.