South Asian HeArt Risk Assessment Project - Trial (SAHARA-Trial)

People who originate from the Indian subcontinent known as South Asians are the fastest growing group of non-white Canadians. They suffer an excess prevalence of abdominal obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. They also develop these risk factors at significantly lower body weight and at younger ages compared to people of European origin. The purpose of SAHARA (South Asian HeArt Risk Assessment) Trial, is to recruit 330 South Asians from Ontario (Principal Investigator: Dr. Sonia Anand) and British Columbia (Co-investigator: Dr. Scott Lear), who use the internet, email and other multimedia devices. Among these participants, the investigators will compare the effectiveness of a 12-month interactive multi-media health behaviour intervention to usual care in reducing cardiac risk factors. This intervention enables participants to set their health goals and provides health messaging and feedback designed to improve their smoking, dietary habits and physical activity. In addition, the investigators will test if knowledge of genetic risk for heart attack influences behaviour change and their heart health risk factor profile. The information generated from SAHARA will enable individuals, physicians, health professionals, and policy makers to develop risk factor modification programs to prevent cardiovascular disease in this high-risk group.