Abstract
South Asian (SA) taxi drivers potentially possess a double epidemiologic risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) due to their
ethnicity and occupation. This study investigates SA taxi drivers’ knowledge, attitudes, beliefs about general health, CVD
and approaches to reduce CVD risk. Five focus groups were conducted with 31 SA taxi drivers in the participants’ primary language
(Bengali, Hindi, Urdu or Punjabi). Audio-recordings of the sessions were transcribed, translated and entered into ATLAS.ti
6.2 for coding and analysis. SA drivers in an urban setting perceive themselves to be at high risk for CVD because of high
work-related stress, physical inactivity, poor diet and poor health care access. Participants attributed their occupation
to increasing risk for heart disease; none believed that being SA increased their risk. Interventions to lower CVD risk among
SA taxi drivers should be multi-level and involve the individual drivers and the taxi industry.
ethnicity and occupation. This study investigates SA taxi drivers’ knowledge, attitudes, beliefs about general health, CVD
and approaches to reduce CVD risk. Five focus groups were conducted with 31 SA taxi drivers in the participants’ primary language
(Bengali, Hindi, Urdu or Punjabi). Audio-recordings of the sessions were transcribed, translated and entered into ATLAS.ti
6.2 for coding and analysis. SA drivers in an urban setting perceive themselves to be at high risk for CVD because of high
work-related stress, physical inactivity, poor diet and poor health care access. Participants attributed their occupation
to increasing risk for heart disease; none believed that being SA increased their risk. Interventions to lower CVD risk among
SA taxi drivers should be multi-level and involve the individual drivers and the taxi industry.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Category Original Paper
- Pages 1-7
- DOI 10.1007/s10903-012-9682-7
- Authors
- Francesca M. Gany, Immigrant Health and Cancer Disparities Service (IH&CDS), Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, 300 E. 66th Street, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Pavan P. Gill, Immigrant Health and Cancer Disparities Service (IH&CDS), Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, 300 E. 66th Street, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Ayaz Ahmed, South Asian Council for Social Services (SACSS), New York, NY, USA
- Sudha Acharya, South Asian Council for Social Services (SACSS), New York, NY, USA
- Jennifer Leng, Immigrant Health and Cancer Disparities Service (IH&CDS), Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, 300 E. 66th Street, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Journal Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
- Online ISSN 1557-1920
- Print ISSN 1557-1912