In the United States, Black communities face a complex mental health burden, with growing attention on addressing these disparities through the lens of holistic wellbeing. Given the dearth of research on faith-based interventions focused on mental health through the lens of holistic wellbeing, this study evaluates the impact of a spirituality-based, peer-led one-group pre-test post-test pilot intervention in a sample of Black individuals in the Bronx, New York City. The eight-session creating healthy culture curriculum, focused on improving mental health and spiritual wellbeing, was collaboratively developed through community partnerships. Post-intervention results indicated significantly reduced odds of moderate to severe depression (AOR:0.20), and increased sense of community, social support, role of religion in health, flourishing, and reduced trouble sleeping. In-depth interviews with participants further highlighted the interconnected role between psychosocial and mental health indicators. Findings support importance of holistically developing, implementing, and evaluating spirituality-based mental health interventions in Black communities.

Family is uniquely influential in the health of young Asian Americans (AAs), yet little is known on the impact of specific shared family activities. This study explores different types and frequencies of AA young adult shared family activities on perceived familial influence on the ability to maintain a healthy lifestyle (diet, physical activity, sleep, social relationships, stress, and risky substances). A nationwide sample of 18–35-year-old AAs was surveyed in March 2021 on a list of 30 shared family activities with mothers, fathers, siblings, or extended family. Overall, 984 unique family relationships reported by 616 young AAs were analyzed. Confirmatory factor analysis synthesized a reliable two-factor (routine, leisure activities) 10-item Shared Activities with Family (SAF) scale. Mothers were most influential (mean 3.25, SD = 1.14), although shared activities among South Asians or with extended family were most associated with changes in perceived influence. Routine shared activities were more strongly associated with perceived influence on sleep, diet, and risky substances, while leisure shared activities were more associated with influence on developing healthy social relationships. Family-based, dyadic interventions for young AAs may incorporate shared activities (both routine and leisure) to promote healthy behaviors, although further research to explore mechanisms and directionality of influence is needed to inform action. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10865-022-00352-z.

Family members play a crucial role in the health of Asian American communities, and their involvement in health interventions can be pivotal in optimizing impact and implementation. To explore how family members can be effectively involved in Asian American health interventions and develop a conceptual framework of methods of involvement at the stages of intervention development, process, and evaluation, this scoping review documented the role of Asian American family members in interventions (across any health objective). Of the 7175 studies identified through database and manual searches, we included 48 studies in the final analysis. Many studies focused on Chinese (54%) or Vietnamese (21%) populations, were conducted in California (44%), and involved spouses (35%) or parents/children (39%). We observed involvement across 3 stages: (1) intervention development (formative research, review process, material development), (2) intervention process (recruitment, receiving the intervention together, receiving a parallel intervention, enlisting support to achieve goals, voluntary intervention support, agent of family-wide change, and participation gatekeepers), and (3) intervention evaluation (received evaluation together, indirect impact evaluation, and feedback during intervention). Impact of family member involvement was both positive (as sources of encouragement, insight, accountability, comfort, and passion) and negative (sources of hindrance, backlash, stigma, obligation, and negative influence). Suggestions for future research interventions include (1) exploring family involvement in South Asian or young adult interventions, (2) diversifying types of family members involved (eg, extended family), and (3) diversifying methods of involvement (eg, family members as implementation agents).

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Objectives South Asians are the fastest growing ethnic population in the United States (U.S.). However, there remains a dearth of culturally relevant diet research in this ethnic minority. examining South Asians living in the U.S. Our objective was to assess health behaviors, food purchasing, and meal preparation habits of in a convenience sample of South Asian adults living in the U.S. Methods For this pilot study, adults aged ³18 years who self-identified as South Asian and living in the U.S. were recruited via e-mail and social media platforms (n = 66). Information on socio-demographics, household food security, food shopping and meal preparation, smoking, physical activity, and alcohol consumption was collected via a Qualtrics survey using a virtual platform. Results Respondents had a mean age of 29.8 years (±8.6), were mostly female (82%), and had earned a Bachelor's degree or higher (91%). Respondents lived across the U.S., with 65% in the Northeast region. Approximately 88% of respondents met criteria for being food secure. Sixty-nine % of people surveyed reported eating or preparing South Asian meals at home 3 or more times per week and 75% reported living near a South Asian food store and visiting it 1–2 times per month. Participants reported sharing food purchasing responsibilities with a spouse or another family member, but were the primary person preparing food in the household. A majority of participants never smoked (91%) and 39% reported never drinking alcohol. Most participants (85%) reported always or very often using South Asian herbs and spices (such as cumin, coriander, garam masala, and turmeric) in their cooking. Conclusions Most respondents in this pilot study of South Asians living in the U.S. maintained culturally relevant culinary practices, including South Asian meal preparation and consumption and regular use of herbs and spices. Results from this survey will provide a greater context of health behaviors; the food purchasing and meal preparation data will provide a framework for the development of culturally inclusive diet assessment tools that incorporate traditional and western food items, including herbs and spices that are often absent in current tools. Funding Sources None.