Background:
As of 2021, almost 45 million people in the United States were foreign-born immigrants. South Asians, including people from Bhutan, are the fastest-growing immigrant subgroup in the US. Their income and education levels are higher than the US average. Yet they have worse physical and mental health outcomes than their White US-born counterparts. These risks include type 2 diabetes and obesity.
Objective:
This natural history study will explore how life experiences and environmental factors affect heart health and metabolism among Bhutanese people living in the US.
Eligibility:
Adults aged 18 years or older who identify as Bhutanese and live in the US.
Design:
Participants will be recruited and screened by the Bhutanese Community of Central Ohio (BCCO). They will have 1 visit to the BCCO s Arogya Clinic in Reynoldsburg. The visit will last 2 hours.
Participants will take a survey; they may use either English or Nepali. They will answer questions about their background; their experiences living in the US; and how their customs and habits might have changed. They will also be asked about their experiences with discrimination; their mental health and well-being; their community; quality of life; and overall physical health. The survey will take 60 minutes.
Participants will also speak with a researcher. They will be asked how they feel about providing biological samples; these may include saliva, blood, and urine. Their answers will be audio recorded.
Adults (aged 18 years and older) living in the United States
Identify as Bhutanese, which will be defined as those individuals that resided or had/have their closest relatives residing in the Kingdom of Bhutan
Bhutanese identity will also include those that self-identify as Bhutanese-Nepali or Bhutanese American
Any South Asian participants that do not identify as Bhutanese.
Pregnant at time of study or screening