Caribbean Diaspora Health Disparities Research Promotes Inclusive Community Health Education and Capacity Building in South Florida

The Caribbean Diaspora Healthy Nutrition Outreach Project (CDHNOP) aims to improve the health and lives of Caribbean immigrants and their families. The findings of this study conducted by researchers from NSU College of Allopathic Medicine was recently published in the Annals of Global Health. The project was founded and is led by Trinidad-born Principal Investigator and Assistant Dean for Community and Global Health, Dr. Farzanna Haffizulla at the Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine. Dr. Patrick Hardigan Executive Dean of Research in Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine also contributed to the success of this project.

The purpose of this CDHNOP study was to quantify social determinants of health relevant to the Caribbean population of Broward county and develop culturally appropriate healthy nutrition and active living education material tailored to this burgeoning demographic group.

Personnel involved in this study evaluated members of focus groups represented by people from  five Caribbean nations which make up the majority of South Florida’s Caribbean diaspora: Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba, Trinidad and Tobago and Dominican Republic. Authors of this article studied cultural risk factors, prevalence of diseases and dietary habits of the Caribbean population in Broward county. They also conducted health disparity assessments to determine the diseases most likely to affect this demographic group and identified their leading causes of death.

The key objectives of this CDHNOP study were to create and evaluate culturally appropriate nutrition materials and quantify which social determinants associated with health are most relevant for the Caribbean diaspora of Broward county. Researchers utilized both qualitative and quantitative focus group methods to generate the data necessary for this study.

The findings reported in this peer-reviewed publication indicate that heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes are the leading causes of mortality. The Caribbean population of Broward county was also found to have higher rate of obesity relative to the national average.

To address these medical issues, it is necessary to improve nutrition and dietary habits using a culturally appropriate, inclusive research frame. To achieve this goal, the NSU team led by Dr. Haffizulla, implemented the Go-Slow-Whoa or GSW format to develop dietary educational information appropriate for the Caribbean diaspora. The GSW format acts as a tool that will provide information to encourage people to make healthier lifestyle choices. It classifies foods and beverages into the following three groups – Foods that should be chosen frequently (Go, colored green), eaten less often (Slow, colored yellow) and eaten rarely (Whoa, Colored red). Nutritional qualities, fat content, sodium content and sugar content are used as the significant determining criteria to decide the GSW classification of each item.

The CDHNOP study concluded that the food and active living preferences of the Caribbean population of South Florida was significantly underrepresented in the national GSW material. Consequently, the informational material in GSW were not inclusive enough or ideal for the Caribbean population. As mentioned earlier, most prevalent diseases affecting this demography, are linked to diet and active living choices. Therefore, this study serves the purpose of identifying the shortcomings and gaining a better understanding of health-related patterns among this underrepresented demographic group. The information accumulated through this initiative by NSU researchers will enable better understanding of the needs of our Caribbean community and thus facilitate development of a health education materials that is inclusive of the cultural and dietary habits of the Caribbean population. A critical component of the CDHNOP project is that it has built trust between the local Caribbean community and key personnel of this project. This puts the project team in a unique position to explore health disparities further in this population, develop a diversity pipeline for the health professions, and gain momentum in developing more reliable, comprehensive, actionable data.  All materials created from this research are available in English, Spanish and Creole.

About Quality of Life Faculty Community-Based Applied Research Grants: The authors of this scientific study would like to thank the Quality of Life Faculty Community-Based Applied Research Grants (QOL) for supporting this CDHNOP initiative. QOL focuses on funding research associated with certain topics categorized as 2021 priority issues. The QOL 2021 Broward, Dade and Palm Beach county priority issues include obesity and access to health services. QOL Grant