Educational Interventions for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Self-management in Ethno-cultural Communities

Goal: The main goal of this study is to develop and validate educational materials that aim to improve self-management knowledge and practices about COPD among patients in Mandarin and Cantonese-speaking communities in the Greater Vancouver Area (GVA). Objectives: "1." To assess the current landscape of COPD beliefs, perceptions and practices, as well as health literacy as it relates to Chinese Mandarin and Cantonese-speaking patients; "2." To develop effective partnerships within primary care physicians serving Chinese newcomers in the GVA' "3." To conduct focus group sessions with collaborative primary care physicians to identify common factors that contribute to under service and access barriers among patients in the target communities; "4." To assess the effectiveness of the educational materials on patients' beliefs, perceptions, practices, and health literacy related to COPD control and self-management; and "5." To improve the capacity of physicians and allied health workers in primary care settings in educating patients and their families about self-management of COPD. The implementation of the project will include the following phases: "1." Build and strengthen established partnerships with primary care practices serving newcomers in GVA; "2." Conduct an environmental scan and needs assessment (literature review, interviews and focus groups with community members and key-informants); "3." Development of story scripts, video clips and other educational materials, and relevant measurement tools; "4." Application of the video clips and other educational materials to test their effectiveness on health literacy, beliefs, and knowledge among COPD patients from the target communities; and "5." Evaluation of the usefulness of videos and other educational materials, and the project's process and outcomes.