| The purpose of this study is to explore the perspectives of 1.5 generation (defined as immigrants who enter the United States between the ages of 12 and 15) Chinese American women regarding nutrition education. Although much has been written about the importance of delivering culturally competent nutrition education, insufficient attention has been given to the needs and experiences of this generation of Chinese American women. In addition, there is little disaggregated research on the unique needs and perceptions of Asian American subgroups, including those of Chinese Americans, the largest Asian community in the US. This research is focused specifically on 1.5 Chinese American women to provide an in-depth understanding of their perspectives about nutrition. The qualitative case-study research design uses a Three Tier Structure Approach, designed by the researcher and adapted from the Mears' (2009) Gateway Approach, entailing an open-ended written narrative followed by two interviews organized within a Three Tier Structure Approach . In Tier One, in response to a question on beliefs about nutrition in the US, five participants identified and shared a critical incident through an open-ended written narrative. Of those five participants, three then completed Tier Two and Tier Three, which entailed semi-structured face-to-face interviews to further probe their individual perspectives about their experiences with nutrition education, sources of knowledge, messages in their community, eating and food preparation behaviors, and their perspectives on and recommendations for delivery of nutrition education. Although the participants in this study were demographically similar in terms of current age, age at immigration, and place of birth, their experiences with nutrition education in the US varied. In addition, none of the participants reported receiving formal nutrition education from a health-care professional or nutritionist. Messages participants had received about nutrition education varied and came from family, friends, and the media.;This study adds to the resources currently available to health-care providers, and particularly nutrition educators, which can be used in the development and implementation of culturally competent nutrition education interventions for 1.5 generation Chinese American women. Recommendations for both nutrition educators and health-care professionals are identified to help address the needs of this population. Nutrition educators, for example, should offer culturally appropriate nutrition education to 1.5 generation Chinese American women, offer nutrition education consistently, and use a wide variety of outreach approaches to deliver this education. Recommendations for health-care professionals include conducting a quality needs analysis with each patient. |
