July 10--bbq pork, Hmong style

[zyzyly]

The focus of my doctoral project is the high rate of diabetes in the Hmong community. The project itself has evolved significantly from screening for diabetes, to training members of the Hmong community to be community health workers--teaching within the community.

I was up early this morning doing a literature search on community health workers. My initial project proposal is due in a week, and I have a lot to accomplish. I feel good about it, though, and it is starting to take shape. It feels are and more like a real thing and not just some abstract concept.

There was a big Hmong sports festival this weekend, and I had planned to go, as part of my project implementation will occur at the festival next year. It was at a big regional park way on the other side of Sacramento, up where I lived when I first moved here. I hadn't been up that way for years.

The festival was interesting. Lots of sports competitions, and lots of food. They had four of these big truck-sized charcoal grills going and there was all sorts of good stuff to eat. Malida loves it because it is pretty much like the food back home. We walked around for a while, had some food, then came home so I could continue working on my project.

Comments

[neptunia67.livejournal.com]

I'm sure it'll be an interesting project. There is an alarming rate of diabetes in the Native American populations, as well. Some tribes are worse affected than others. I have heard theories that the people were so rapidly introduced to high-sugar, highly refined European diets that they did not have time to evolve to tolerate it. Of course now we see a lot of diabetes in people of European descent as well, with all of the sugar ingested and sedentary lifestyles. But for the Native Americans it is much, much worse.

[thoughtsbykat.livejournal.com]

It was nice that you got a little food break mixed in with your work on your project.

[howeird]

That sounds like a great event. Something occurred to me - the most notable difference for me between American fare and Hmong/Thai is cow's milk. Does lactose figure into the diabetes formula at all?