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Addressing Cardiovascular Disease Risk in HungarianAmerican Populations: A Cultural Exploration of Transdisciplinary Health Promotion

2017; University of Szczecin; Volume: 19; Linguagem: Inglês

10.18276/cej.2017.3-03

2353-2807

Nicholas Laszlo, Basil H. Aboul‐Enein, Josh Bernstein, Joanna Kruk,

Nutrition, Health and Food Behavior

Hungarian Americans share a unique culture of food traditions associated with their value system and way of life. Researchers, health care providers, and nutrition professionals counseling and treating a Hungarian-American population should develop a baseline of cultural understanding to achieve successful and long-lasting behavior change outcomes. The leading causes of death among Hungarians include ischemic heart disease (21.3%), stroke (13.4%), and cirrhosis (5.8%); all are directly or indirectly attributed to a traditional Hungarian diet coupled with a sedentary lifestyle. Health behaviors among Hungarian Americans can be partially explained by the Health Belief Model’s value-expectancy construct. Understanding cultural expectations and their associated values serve as a foundation for health promotion programming to reduce risk of cardiovascular disease and comorbidities. This review explored numerous facets of Hungarian-American dietary habits in psychosocial, economic, historical, and cultural contexts. Health education and health promotion considerations were also examined.