On March 27th, Dr. Simona Kwon, CSAAH Director and NYU PRC co-investigator, was invited to lecture at Ewha and Kyung Hee Universities in Seoul, Korea. Dr. Kwon presented on diabetes in Koreans and the NYU PRC’s diabetes prevention research, Project RICE, which is being conducted in the New York City Korean immigrant community. Healthcare professionals and researchers in Korea are becoming increasingly interested in diabetes and diabetes prevention given the rapidly growing diabetes rates in Korea. According to Dr. Kwon: “Within the past 30 years the rate of diabetes has increased 5-fold among Koreans in Korea. These rapidly increasing rates highlight the need for the implementation of diabetes prevention programs and strategies. It’s gratifying that there is interest and opportunities for the lessons learned and outcomes from Project RICE to inform prevention and health outcomes in Korea.”

On April 24th, the NYU PRC hosted a site visit of 17 local city health department officials representing 27 cities from Gyeonggi Province in South Korea [pictured above]. The health officials were accompanied by Dr. Jae Hyun Park, a researcher from Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine in Seoul, Korea, to learn about health promotion and prevention strategies to address risk factors related to chronic diseases, including city-wide activities related to oral health, obesity, nutrition, and physical activity. We were excited by this opportunity to share our successes with the NYU PRC and Project RICE, as well as build international collaborations around diabetes prevention. n

NYU PRC Fostering International Learning Exchanges with Korean Public Health

Officials & Academic Researchers

Reaching Immigrants through Community Empowerment (RICE)

http://prevention-research.med.

nyu.edu/health-research-rice-project

Vol 2. 2013

Project RICENadia Islam, PhDDirector, NYU PRCPrincipal Investigator, Project RICE

Kay Chun, MDDirector, Public Health and Research Center, KCS Co-Investigator, Project RICE

Jennifer Zanowiak, MA Research Coordinator Project RICE, NYU PRC Chris Kim and Myoungmi KimCommunity Health WorkersProject RICE, KCS

NYU Health Promotion and Prevention Reserach Center (NYU PRC)Mariano Rey, MDSenior Associate Dean for Community Health and Research, NYU School of Medicine Principal Investigator, NYU PRC

Simona Kwon, DrPH, MPHDirector, Center for the Study of Asian American Health

Nadia Islam, PhDDirector, NYU PRCPrincipal Investigator, Project RICE

Chau Trinh-Shevrin, DrPH Director, Large Research Initiatives, Department of Population Health

Smiti Kapadia, MPHProject Coordinator

Jennifer Zanowiak, MA Research Coordinator

Rebecca Park Project Assistant Newsletter Content Coordinator

Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York, Inc. (KCS)Kwang S. KimPresident

Linda Lee, MSWExecutive Director

Kay Chun, MDDirector, Public Health and Research Center

Chris Kim and Myoungmi Kim Community Health Workers Project RICE

PAGE 1

Project RICE Welcomes Two New CHWs!

Chris Kim and Myoungmi Kim have joined the Project RICE team to help NYC Koreans learn how to lead healthier lives. They will lead culturally-tailored group education workshops on topics such as nutrition, physical activity, stress management, diabetes and chronic disease prevention, and health care access, as well as provide follow-up and support to program participants.

To learn more about receiving a free diabetes screening or participating in this health program, contactChris Kim at 212-463-9685n

PROJECT RICE NEWS

Project RICE Partners Featured on Asian AmericaOn March 25th, NYU PRC partners were interviewed by Sue Robinson, TV host and writer, on “Asian America” on WNYE TV, a weekly television program syndicated by PBS. In recognition of the American Diabetes Association’s Diabetes Alert Day, Dr. Rucha Kavathe, Health Projects Manager at UNITED SIKHS and Sunhi Shin, RN, a certified diabetes educator at NYU Langone Medical Center, spoke about nutrition strategies for diabetes prevention in the Asian American community, and shared their experiences being involved with Project RICE interventions in the Sikh South Asian and Korean communities. The show aired on PBS on April 28th and May 2nd.n

PAGE 2

Sue Robinson interviews Rucha Kavathe and Sunhi Shin about diabetes in the Asian American community and culturally-appropriate nutrition strategies to prevent diabetes among Asians.

Graduation event on June 15, 2013. Program Participants, KCS and NYU Staff, and NYS Assemblymember Ron Kim (front row, third from the right).

Project RICE’s 1st Peer-Reviewed Article!

Check out our article titled, “A randomized-controlled, pilot intervention on diabetes prevention and healthy lifestyles in the New York City Korean Community”, which has been published online in the Journal of Community Health!

Congratulations To All 2012 and 2013 Graduates!

We congratulate 49 participants who completed the Project RICE diabetes prevention and healthy living program over the last year. Their achievements were celebrated at graduation ceremonies in December 2012 and June 2013 in Flushing, where they were congratulated by NYS Assemblymember Ron Kim and NYC Councilmember Peter Koo.

Graduates were invited to share their experiences with the program, including the following:

•“I got a blood test and was told that my blood sugar and cholesterol was higher than normal and I also had a fatty liver. So, I was determined to change my life habits and I joined Project RICE. The CHWs gave me a food diary. By writing down what I ate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I realized my health had deteriorated because I paid no attention to what I was eating. Therefore, I started to control what I was eating from that time on.” (female participant)

• “The CHWs would give me a follow-up call once a week. I raised three children, but do you think they call me that often? Of course not, however, the CHWs call me to ask about my health, if I am going through any difficult times, and how I have been doing. After a while, I started looking forward to these calls, so that if they didn’t call me, I called them and asked for their advice.” (female participant)

•”My wife, who is a lot younger than me, is diagnosed with diabetes. So I began to think, “If someone who’s younger than me has it, should I do something?” so I ended up coming here. I really enjoyed the program; I listened and participated. I wasn’t able to do this on my own, but through this program, I was able to do many things...which help maintain a healthy body. So we have to encourage the people we know to learn important things about health through these programs and enhance our lives to be diabetes free.” (male participant)

Project RICE is offering another round of workshops, scheduled to begin this summer. To learn more about receiving a free diabetes screening or participating in this health program, please contact Chris Kim at 212-463-9685.n

Graduation event on December 1, 2012. Program Participants, KCS and NYU Staff, and NYC Councilmember Peter Koo and NYS Assemblymember Ron Kim (front row, fourth and third from the right).

How Healthy Is Your Heart? Heart disease, stroke, and diabetes are some of the leading causes of death among Korean Americans. Taking steps to have a healthier heart can lower your chances of developing these conditions.

Talk to your doctor or a health worker about:

YOUR BLOOD PRESSURETarget: Less than 130/80mm Hg

YOUR CHOLESTEROLTarget:LDL below 100 mg/dLHDL above 40 mg/dL for men & HDL above 50 mg/dL for womenTriglycerides below 150 mg/dL

YOUR BLOOD SUGAR (CHECK FOR DIABETES)Target: HbA1c less than 7% or Fasting Plasma Glucose Test less than 100mg/dL

YOUR WEIGHTTarget: a body mass index (BMI) of 18.5 - 22.9These are considered to be normal readings. Find out how you compare. Come to one of our upcoming free health screening events and learn your numbers! n

PROJECT RICE NEWS

PAGE 3

Take the

Diabetes Risk Test on the

back page to learn if you are

at increased risk for Type 2

Diabetes!

Farewell and Thank You!The NYU PRC bids farewell to Christina Choi and Hyunjae Yim, who served as Project RICE Community Health Workers for 2 years and 1 year, respectively. We thank them for their fantastic commitment and invaluable contributions to the Korean community and Project RICE. Both plan to continue their education in public health, and we wish them all the best in their future endeavors.

About UsKorean Community Services (KCS) was founded in 1973 as the first community-based community service agency in the Korean community, and provides various professional services in the areas of Community, Aging, and Public Health. KCS helps low-income immigrant individuals and families to address critical needs, solve complex problems, and adapt to a new cultural, economic, and social environment. Learn more at: http://www.kcsny.org n

The New York University Health Promotion and Prevention Research Center (NYU PRC) was established in 2009 by a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The mission of the NYU PRC is to build and enhance community capacity and leadership for health promotion and disease prevention across diverse populations. Learn more at: http://prevention-research.med.nyu.edu n

Project RICE is a community-driven research initiative to promote diabetes prevention among Korean and South Asian immigrants in New York City through the work of community health workers (CHWs). Project RICE is the core research project of the NYU PRC, and is funded by the CDC. n

Chris Kim (right) leads Project RICE participants on a walking tour of the Queens Botanical Garden in May 2013.

NYU Health Promotion and Prevention Research Center NYU School of Medicine 550 First Avenue, VZN 8th Floor New York, NY 10016 Contact: Smiti Kapadia Project Coordinator Tel: (212) 263-8949 Email: smiti.kapadia@nyumc.org

Hyunjae Yim (3rd from left) and Christina Choi (2nd from right) lead a cooking demonstration at the KCS Senior Center in Corona in February 2013.

The NYU PRC was established in 2009 and supported by Cooperative Agreement Number U48-DP-001904 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The findings and conclusions in this newsletter are those of the NYU PRC and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Type 2 diabetes is more common in African Americans, Hispanics/ Latinos, American Indians, and Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

For more information, visit us at www.diabetes.org or call 1-800-DIABETES

ArE you AT rISk For

Type 2 Diabetes?

If you scored 5 or higher:You are at increased risk for having type 2 diabetes. However, only your doctor can tell for sure if you do have type 2 diabetes or prediabetes (a condi-tion that precedes type 2 diabetes in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal). Talk to your doctor to see if additional testing is needed.

Add up your score.

Height Weight (lbs.)4’ 10” 119-142 143-190 191+

4’ 11” 124-147 148-197 198+

5’ 0” 128-152 153-203 204+

5’ 1” 132-157 158-210 211+

5’ 2” 136-163 164-217 218+

5’ 3” 141-168 169-224 225+

5’ 4” 145-173 174-231 232+

5’ 5” 150-179 180-239 240+

5’ 6” 155-185 186-246 247+

5’ 7” 159-190 191-254 255+

5’ 8” 164-196 197-261 262+

5’ 9” 169-202 203-269 270+

5’ 10” 174-208 209-277 278+

5’ 11” 179-214 215-285 286+

6’ 0” 184-220 221-293 294+

6’ 1” 189-226 227-301 302+

6’ 2” 194-232 233-310 311+

6’ 3” 200-239 240-318 319+

6’ 4” 205-245 246-327 328+

(1 Point) (2 Points) (3 Points)

You weigh less than the amount in the left column

(0 points)

Diabetes Risk Test1

2

3

Write your score in the box.

4

5

6

7

How old are you?

Less than 40 years (0 points)40—49 years (1 point)50—59 years (2 points)60 years or older (3 points)

Are you a man or a woman?

Man (1 point) Woman (0 points)

If you are a woman, have you ever been diagnosed with gestational diabetes?

Yes (1 point) No (0 points)

Do you have a mother, father, sister, or brother with diabetes?

Yes (1 point) No (0 points)

Have you ever been diagnosed with high blood pressure?

Yes (1 point) No (0 points)

Are you physically active?

Yes (0 points) No (1 point)

What is your weight status? (see chart at right)

Adapted from Bang et al., Ann Intern Med 151:775-783, 2009.Original algorithm was validated without gestational diabetes as part of the model.

Lower your riskThe good news is that you can manage your risk for type 2 diabetes. Small steps make a big difference and can help you live a longer, healthier life.If you are at high risk, your first step is to see your doctor to see if additional testing is needed.Visit diabetes.org or call 1-800-DIABETES for information, tips on getting started, and ideas for simple, small steps you can take to help lower your risk.

Visit us on Facebook Facebook.com/AmericanDiabetesAssociation

BMI Categories for Asians*

Height4' 7" 99-116 117-159 160+4' 8" 103-120 121-165 166+4' 9" 106-125 126-171 172+

4' 10" 110-129 130-177 178+4' 11" 114-134 135-183 184+5' 0" 118-138 139-189 190+5' 1" 122-143 144-196 197+5' 2" 126-148 149-202 203+5' 3" 130-152 153-209 210+5' 4" 134-157 158-216 217+5' 5" 138-162 163-222 223+5' 6" 142-167 168-229 230+5' 7" 146-172 173-236 237+5' 8" 151-178 179-243 244+5' 9" 155-183 184-251 252+

5' 10" 160-188 189-258 259+5' 11" 165-194 195-265 266+6' 0" 169-199 200-273 274+6' 1" 174-205 206-280 281+6' 2" 179-210 211-288 289+6' 3" 184-216 217-296 297+6' 4" 189-222 223-304 305+

(1 Point) (2 Points) (3 Points)

*Based on the World Health Organization's Asian BMI categories.

You weigh less than the amount in the left column (0 Points)

Weight (lbs.)

Adapted from Bang et al., Ann Intern Med 151:775-783, 2009. Original algorithm was validated without gestational diabetes as part of the model. The NYU PRC was established in 2009 by grant 1U48DP001904-01 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

To learn more about receiving a free diabetes screening or participating in this health program, please contact Chris Kim at 212-463-9685.