Reducing Risk of Childhood Overweight Among Immigrant Families from Asia

The risk of obesity among Asian-American children increases the longer they are in the United States. Agencies and heath organizations serving this population have expressed the need for educational materials focused on helping children achieve healthy weights. In collaboration with county staff, the University of California Berkeley Cooperative Extension used focus groups to identify the needs and interests of non-English speaking food stamp recipients about childhood overweight.

The results of the focus groups were used to design a series of culturally sensitive and relevant educational materials that can help immigrant parents understand how they can adapt to a new environment and food supply in a way that will foster the health and welfare of their children. The educational materials were pilot-tested with small groups of parents for cognitive knowledge, change in attitudes about overweight in children, and any intentions to change family health behaviors.

They can be found at the website for the Center for Weight and Health at the University of California Berkeley.

“Do Professional Interpreters Improve Clinical Care for Patients with Limited English Proficiency? A Systematic Review of the Literature"

Leah Karliner, a member of The Network for Multicultural Health at the Center for the Health Professions, UC San Francisco, co-authored an article entitled ” The article examines whether professional medical interpreters have a positive impact on clinical care for limited English proficiency patients.


For information about The Network and a link to the article, go to their website.

Research by Jon Wolff, MD focuses on MBADD, a rare condition affecting the Hmong

Research by Jon Wolff, MD is cited in a September 17, 2006 article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal. Read the article.