Abstract:
Over the past two decades, the quality of the Tongan American diet has become of increasing concern to researchers, health professionals, and within the Tongan American communities. Obesity rates have increased among this population in the last 20 years, and obesity is now considered to be an epidemic among Tongan-Americans. Facilitating healthy dietary behaviors can help to reduce the disproportionate rate of diseases. Therefore, this study will employ the principles of a grounded theoretical approach to explore the lived experiences of Tongan American adults to understand the perceived facilitators of healthy dietary behaviors. The methodology includes semi-structured interviews with 12 Tongan Americans (six men and six women). Thus, the findings highlighted an interconnection between (1) health literacy and time management, (2) family support, (3) home environment, and (4) maintaining Tongan cultural norms as perceived facilitators of healthy dietary behaviors among Tongan American adults. Key findings from this study highlight the interconnection between these concepts and the importance of implementing them into future health promotion efforts. Therefore, research efforts and intervention initiatives aimed at reducing the high incidences of obesity and other chronic diseases among Tongan Americans should focus on innovative, multi-component, multi-faceted, and culturally tailored strategies to assist them with facilitating healthy dietary behaviors.
