Health Education in the Bhutanese Nepali Community

In collaboration with OSU's James Center for  Cancer Health Equity and OSU College of Medicine, CRIS' Health and Wellness Program offered a 10-week Health Education Curriculum for members of the Bhutanese-Nepali community from July to September, 2015. The group met weekly at the Bhutanese Nepali Community of Columbus (BNCC), a community center that a range of participants are able to access easily.

The curriculum was developed with the help of community members and focused on the following topics:

• Nutrition

• Hypertension

• Diabetes

• Cancer

• Stress and Mental Health

• Lung Conditions and Smoking

• Medical systems and access to care

Topics were chosen based on high prevalence in the community with the goal of providing education around what the condition means for the body, prevention techniques, and management strategies. Recently arrived refugees are often given multiple new diagnoses after seeing healthcare providers in the US and may be overwhelmed by limited understanding of what the condition involves and how to manage it. Each unit was designed to be interactive, clear, and engaging to build a foundation of knowledge around commonly experienced health issues. Participants shared that much of the information was new and very useful and that they planned to share what they have learned with friends and family members with these conditions. We plan for the groups to continue in conjunction with Columbus Public Health, with content and structure of the sessions being built around feedback from the community.