Facilitators and Barriers to Healthy Eating in Aged Chinese Canadians with Hypertension: A Qualitative Exploration

Objectives: To determine the facilitators and barriers influencing healthy eating behaviours among aged Chinese-Canadians with hypertension. Methods: After attending five weeks of dietary educational training (Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension with Sodium (Na) Reduction for Chinese Canadians; DASHNa-CC), 30 aged Chinese-Canadian participants partook in a telephone interview. Participants were asked to name three facilitators and three barriers that influenced their ability to follow the DASHNa-CC intervention. Telephone transcripts were then analyzed and coded using computer software and categorized into personal, familial, community, and societal facilitators or barriers. Results: Personal factors included health problems, motivation, effects of healthy diet, health-related careers, and dietary habits. Family factors included family structure, support from family members, and critical health events involving family members or relatives. Community factors consisted of educational materials, friends, primary care physicians, and online social networks. Societal factors included accessibility to grocery stores and restaurants. Conclusions: Aged Chinese-Canadian immigrants experience unique facilitators of and barriers to healthy eating, which may warrant further attention from healthcare professionals when educating patients in a culturally-sensitive manner.