The effectiveness of living well multicultural-lifestyle management program among ethnic populations in Queensland, Australia.

ISSUE: Some migrant groups have higher risks of deaths and chronic diseases due to barriers associated with socioeconomic disadvantage, social isolation, racism, language, poor access to health services and low levels of health literacy. However, few culturally tailored interventions have targeted ethnic groups in Australia. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Living Well Multicultural-Lifestyle Management Program (LWM-LMP) in Queensland, Australia. METHODS: The LWM-LMP was originally co-designed with the targeted communities. Participants aged ≥18 years were eligible to participate without a fee. The evaluation was a quasi-experimental design without a control group, with data collected at baseline, the end of the programme and after-programme follow-up at week 14. The programme lasted 8 weeks with one group-based session of 120 minutes delivered each week in local community venues. Each session also included time to undertake physical activity (PA). Eating and PA behaviours were self-reported. Weight, height, waist circumference and blood pressure were measured using standard protocols. RESULTS: Participants were more likely to consume ≥2 servings of fruit/day, five servings of vegetable/day, low-fat milk, processed meat, fast food, hot chips/fries, salty snacks, sweet snacks, sweet beverages less than once per week and meet the PA recommendation of ≥150 minutes/wk (P < .001) at week 8. Weight, BMI, waist circumference, waist-to-height ratio and blood pressure were also improved at week 8. Many of the changes were sustained at week 14. CONCLUSIONS: The LWM-LMP was effective in improving participants' lifestyle behaviours and cardiometabolic indicators. SO WHAT: Engaging targeted communities in designing interventions focussed on healthy personal behaviours helps with delivery and implementation. Behavioural interventions should be culturally tailored to increase their effectiveness.

Prevalence and visual risk factors for falls in bilateral cataract patients in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

PURPOSE: To determine the prevalence of falls in the 12 months prior to cataract surgery and examine the associations between visual and other risk factors and falls among older bilateral cataract patients in Vietnam. METHODS: Data collected from 413 patients in the week before scheduled cataract surgery included a questionnaire and three objective visual tests. RESULTS: The outcome of interest was self-reported falls in the previous 12 months. A total of 13% (n = 53) of bilateral cataract patients reported 60 falls within the previous 12 months. After adjusting for age, sex, race, employment status, comorbidities, medication usage, refractive management, living status and the three objective visual tests in the worse eye, women (odds ratio, OR, 4.64, 95% confidence interval, CI, 1.85-11.66), and those who lived alone (OR 4.51, 95% CI 1.44-14.14) were at increased risk of a fall. Those who reported a comorbidity were at decreased risk of a fall (OR 0.43, 95% CI 0.19-0.95). Contrast sensitivity (OR 0.31, 95% CI 0.10-0.95) was the only significant visual test associated with a fall. These results were similar for the better eye, except the presence of a comorbidity was not significant (OR 0.45, 95% CI 0.20-1.02). Again, contrast sensitivity was the only significant visual factor associated with a fall (OR 0.15, 95% CI 0.04-0.53). CONCLUSION: Bilateral cataract patients in Vietnam are potentially at high risk of falls and in need of falls prevention interventions. It may also be important for ophthalmologists and health professionals to consider contrast sensitivity measures when prioritizing cataract patients for surgery and assessing their risk of falls.

The impact of cataract surgery on vision-related quality of life for bilateral cataract patients in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: a prospective study.

BACKGROUND: To determine the impact of cataract surgery on vision-related quality of life (VRQOL) and examine the association between objective visual measures and change in VRQOL after surgery among bilateral cataract patients in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. METHODS: A cohort of older patients with bilateral cataract was assessed one week before and one to three months after first eye or both eye cataract surgery. Visual measures including visual acuity, contrast sensitivity and stereopsis were obtained. Vision-related quality of life was assessed using the NEI VFQ-25. Descriptive analyses and a generalized linear estimating equation (GEE) analysis were undertaken to measure change in VRQOL after surgery. RESULTS: Four hundred and thirteen patients were assessed before cataract surgery and 247 completed the follow-up assessment one to three months after first or both eye cataract surgery. Overall, VRQOL significantly improved after cataract surgery (p < 0.001) particularly after both eye surgeries. Binocular contrast sensitivity (p < 0.001) and stereopsis (p < 0.001) were also associated with change in VRQOL after cataract surgery. Visual acuity was not associated with VRQOL. CONCLUSIONS: Cataract surgery significantly improved VRQOL among bilateral cataract patients in Vietnam. Contrast sensitivity as well as stereopsis, rather than visual acuity significantly affected VRQOL after cataract surgery.