The National Cambodian American Town Hall Meeting: A Community Dialogue on “Eat, Walk, Sleep” for Health

Background: The 2009 National Cambodian American Town Hall Meeting was a public–private partnership convened to address long-term health issues related the Cambodian holocaust. Goals for participants were to dispel myths about diabetes; goals for the partnership were to build research capacity and to strengthen relationships.

Methods: Partners collaborated on all aspects of the meeting which was held in Khmer by bridged videoconferencing in 10 sites and webinar at 5 sites across the United States over a 3-hour period. EAT, WALK, SLEEP for Health (EWS), the National Cambodian American Diabetes Project program, provided the framework for the meeting.

Results: Pre and post surveys were completed by 323 participants. Modest improvements were seen in participants’ belief that they could improve their own and their com munity’s health, although significant barriers remained. Particip ants and community partners evaluated the meeting positively.

Conclusions: The meeting is a model for other populations, and results inform future work.