South Asian individuals experience a higher burden of chronic diseases and limited access to health care services compared with their Caucasian peers. Digital health interventions can enhance the delivery of health care, minimize health inequities, and consequently improve health status among minority ethnic groups. However, it is unclear how South Asian people view and perceive the use of digital health technologies to support their health needs. Thus, the aim of this review is to identify South Asian individuals\' experiences and attitudes of digital health and explore the barriers and facilitators affecting their use of digital health services.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues to pose a global health challenge, demonstrating significant disparities in occurrence among various populations. A wide number of research studies have indicated a higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease in South Asian immigrants compared to the local American population. The demand to improve the cardiovascular benefits of immigrants is increasing, which calls for further research with larger and more diverse population samples. This study will investigate the major causes of this variation, which include genetically diverse characteristics and changes in nutritional status among the study population groups. To assess the increase in the prevalence of cardiovascular disease among South Asian populations compared to the US population, a narrative review of accessible data is carried out. The data in support of the present document are from the Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Statistics for Heart Diseases and Stroke 2023, a trend analysis about incidences of cardiac diseases and global burden in 2017, all dating back to the last two decades. Relevant articles from PubMed and Google Scholar have also been included, as appropriate, and their references are provided wherever necessary. Graphs for the geographical variations in disease incidence are produced using Microsoft Excel (Microsoft® Corp., Redmond, WA). The review shows that there is a significant decline in the prevalence of CVD among American citizens when compared to the steady increase in the number of cases among South Asians, which is attributed to the unique genetic predisposition of South Asians to be more prone to CVDs. The changing dietary habits also play an important role in the fall in HDL levels in South Asians when compared to Americans. This is driven by genetic disparities, including the APOA1 and APOA2 genes, and nutritional disparities, including variance in quality and quantity of dietary consumption. Addressing the escalating cases of CVD among South Asians necessitates additional research to enhance proactive preventive measures and implement screening programs specifically tailored to address prevalent risk factors within the population.

South Asian individuals experience a higher burden of chronic diseases and limited access to health care services compared with their Caucasian peers. Digital health interventions can enhance the delivery of health care, minimize health inequities, and consequently improve health status among minority ethnic groups. However, it is unclear how South Asian people view and perceive the use of digital health technologies to support their health needs.
The aim of the review is to identify South Asian individuals\' experiences and attitudes of digital health and explore the barriers and facilitators affecting their use of digital health services.
The Arksey and O\'Malley methodological framework was used to guide this scoping review. Five electronic databases were examined for pertinent papers, which were augmented by searching bibliographies of the retrieved papers and gray literature. A total of 1328 potentially relevant papers were retrieved from the initial search, and the supplemental search added 7 papers to the final list of potentially included papers. Each paper on the initial inclusion list was independently reviewed, leaving 15 papers to be included in the review.
Data were analyzed thematically leading to the development of two overarching themes: (1) barriers to uptake of digital health and (2) facilitators of use of digital health services. There was a general consensus that South Asian communities still struggle with inadequate access to digital health technologies. Some studies suggest multiple initiatives to improve accessibility and acceptability of digital health services within South Asian communities in order to mitigate health disparities and develop a more inclusive health care system. These include the development of multiple-language and culturally sensitive interventions and digital skill development sessions. Most studies were conducted in South Asian countries, focusing on measurable outcomes of digital health interventions. Few explored the experiences and views of South Asian community members residing in the West as a minority ethnic group, for example, British South Asians.
Literature mapping proposes that South Asian people frequently struggle with a health care system that may limit their access to digital health services, and sometimes fails to consider social and cultural needs. There is growing evidence that digital health interventions have the potential to facilitate supported self-management, which is part of the plans to adopt person-centered care. These interventions are particularly important for overcoming some of the challenges, for example, time constraints, safety, and gender sensitivity, associated with the delivery of health care interventions in minority ethnic groups such as South Asians in the United Kingdom, and thus to improve minority ethnic groups\' access to health care services to support individual health needs, and consequently enhance health status.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this systematic review is to broaden our knowledge of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening in South Asian immigrants living in Canada, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia by determining the barriers and facilitators and examining interventions for CRC screening.
METHODS: A literature search of PubMed, Ovid Medline, and Google was conducted using South Asian, Asian Indians, cancer screening, colorectal neoplasm, early detection of cancer, and mass screening as search terms. The review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Only research articles written in English from 2000 to July 2022 were collected. Inclusion criteria included all English-language articles, the South Asian population, and either reporting barriers, facilitators, interventions, or recommendations for CRC screening. Exclusion criteria included all articles that did not meet inclusion criteria or were duplicates. A total of 32 articles were deemed eligible for inclusion and were retrieved for further analysis. The countries of origin in the articles reviewed included Canada, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia.
RESULTS: In general, the studies indicated that South Asians have low CRC screening rates. The most common barriers reported were poor knowledge/awareness of CRC and CRC screening, lack of physician recommendation, psychological factors (e.g., fear, anxiety, and shame), cultural/religious factors, and sociodemographic factors (language barrier, lower income, and female gender). The most important facilitator reported was the physician\'s recommendation. Six intervention studies of either education or organized screening programs were shown to have a positive influence by increasing knowledge and improving attitudes toward CRC screening.
CONCLUSIONS: Of the limited number of studies identified, the population categorized as South Asians was largely heterogeneous, including a diversity of ethnicities. Although the rates of CRC among South Asians were relatively low, there remain many cultural barriers to the awareness of and screening for CRC in this population. Further research in this population is needed to better identify the factors related to CRC in individuals of South Asian ethnicity. Recommending CRC screening by physicians and mid-level providers and educating patients with culturally sensitive programs and materials are important to increase knowledge and awareness of CRC and CRC screening.

South Asians (SAs) account for a quarter of the world\'s population and are one of the fastest-growing immigrant groups in the United States (US). South Asian Immigrants (SAIs) are disproportionately more at risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) than other ethnic/racial groups. Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disorder and is the major cause of CVD. Traditional CVD risk factors, though important, do not fully explain the elevated risk of CVD in SAIs. High-density lipoproteins (HDLs) are heterogeneous lipoproteins that modify their composition and functionality depending on physiological or pathological conditions. With its cholesterol efflux, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant functions, HDL is traditionally considered a protective factor for CVD. However, its functions can be compromised under pathological conditions, such as chronic inflammation, making it dysfunctional (Dys-HDL). SAIs have a high prevalence of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, which may further promote Dys-HDL. This review explores the potential association between Dys-HDL and CVD in SAIs and presents current literature discussing the role of Dys-HDL in CVD.

Most of the published literature on Atrial fibrillation (AF) originates from the northern hemisphere and mainly involves Caucasian patients, with limited studies in certain ethnicities and races. This scoping review was conducted to collect and summarize the pertinent evidence from the published scientific literature on AF in South Asians and Middle Eastern Arabs. MEDLINE, Embase and CENTRAL databases were included in our search. After screening 8995 records, 55 studies were selected; 42 from the Middle East and 13 from South Asia. Characteristics of the included studies were tabulated, and their data were summarized for study design, setting, enrolment period, sample size, demographics, prevalence or incidence of AF, co-morbidities, risk factors, AF types and symptoms, management, outcomes, and risk determinants. Identified literature gaps included a paucity of community or population-based studies that are representative of these two ethnicities/races. In addition, studies that addressed ethnic/racial in-equality and access to treatment were lacking. Our study underscores the urgent need to study cardiovascular disorders, particularly AF, in South Asians and Middle Eastern Arabs as well as in other less represented ethnicities and races.

This study aimed to systematically review total daily sedentary time in South Asian adults. Seven electronic databases were searched, identifying relevant articles published in peer-reviewed journals between March 1990 and March 2021. The study was designed in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. Prospective or cross-sectional design studies reporting total daily sedentary time in South Asian adults (aged ≥18 years), reported in English, were included. Study quality and risk of bias were assessed, and the weighted mean total daily sedentary time was calculated. Fourteen full texts were included in this systematic review from studies that were conducted in Bangladesh, India, Norway, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. Pooled sedentary time across all studies was 424 ± 8 min/day. Sedentary time was measured using self-report questionnaires in seven studies, with a weighted mean daily sedentary time of 416 ± 19 min/day. Eight studies used accelerometers and inclinometers with a weighted mean sedentary time of 527 ± 11 min/day. South Asian adults spend a large proportion of their time being sedentary, especially when recorded using objective measures (~9 h/day). These findings suggest that South Asians are an important target population for public health efforts to reduced sedentary time, and researchers and practitioners should seek to standardise and carefully consider the tools used when measuring sedentary time in this population.

Intervention development guidelines suggest that behavioural interventions benefit from being theory-based. Minority populations typically benefit less from asthma self-management interventions, and the extent to which appropriate theory has been used for culturally tailored interventions has not been addressed. We aimed to determine theory use and theoretical domains targeted in asthma self-management interventions for South Asian and Black populations.
We systematically searched electronic databases, research registers, manually searched relevant journals and reference lists of reviews for randomised controlled trials of asthma self-management for South Asian and Black populations, and extracted data using the Theory Coding Scheme to inform if/how theory was used and explore its associations with asthma outcomes, and the Theoretical Domains Framework was used to identify targeted theoretical domains and its relationship to effectiveness of asthma outcomes.
20 papers (19 trials) were identified; theory was not extensively used in interventions. It was unclear whether theory use or theoretical domains targeted in interventions improved asthma outcomes. South Asian interventions included \'behavioural regulation\', while \'reinforcement\' was mostly used in African American interventions. \'Knowledge\' was central for all populations, though there were differences related to \'environmental context and resources\' e.g., language adaptations for South Asians; asthma resources provided for African Americans. Author descriptions of interventions targeting providers were limited.
There was little evidence of theory-based approaches used in cultural interventions for asthma self-management. Demystifying theoretical concepts (and cultural interpretations of constructs) may provide clarity for \'non-experts\', enabling mainstream use of theory-driven approaches in intervention development.

BACKGROUND: Oral cancer is a growing problem worldwide, with high incidence rates in South Asian countries. With increasing numbers of South Asian immigrants in developed countries, a possible rise in oral cancer cases is expected given the high prevalence in their source countries and the continued oral cancer risk behaviours of immigrants. The aim of this review is to synthesise existing evidence regarding knowledge, attitudes and practices of South Asian immigrants in developed countries regarding oral cancer.
METHODS: Five electronic databases were systematically searched to identify original, English language articles focussing on oral cancer risk knowledge, attitudes and practices of South Asian immigrants in developed countries. All studies that met the following inclusion criteria were included: conducted among South Asian immigrants in developed countries; explored at least one study outcome (knowledge or attitudes or practices); used either qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods. No restrictions were placed on the publication date, quality and setting of the study.
RESULTS: A total of 16 studies involving 4772 participants were reviewed. These studies were mainly conducted in the USA, UK, Italy and New Zealand between 1994 and 2018. Findings were categorised into themes of oral cancer knowledge, attitudes and practices. General lack of oral cancer risk knowledge (43-76%) among participants was reported. More than 50% people were found engaging in one or more oral cancer risk practices like smoking, betel quid/pan/gutka chewing. Some of the participants perceived betel quid/pan/gutka chewing habit good for their health (12-43.6%).
CONCLUSIONS: This review has shown that oral cancer risk practices are prevalent among South Asian immigrants who possess limited knowledge and unfavourable attitude in this area. Culturally appropriate targeted interventions and strategies are needed to raise oral cancer awareness among South Asian communities in developed countries.

Oral health is a burden among all populations and is linked with major chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases. Migrants, in particular South Asians, have poor oral health which requires further understanding to better inform oral health interventions by targeting specific aspects of this heterogenous South Asian population. This review is undertaken to systematically synthesize the evidence of oral health understandings, knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, practices, and behaviors of South Asian migrants residing in high-income countries. A comprehensive systematic search of seven electronic databases and hand-searching for peer-reviewed studies was conducted. All study designs were included, and quality assessment conducted. Of the 1614 records identified, 17 were included for synthesis and 12 were quantitative in design. These studies were primarily conducted in the UK, USA, Canada, and Europe. South Asian migrants had inadequate oral health knowledge, attitudes, and practices-influenced by culture, social norms, and religiosity. In the absence of symptoms, preventive oral hygiene practices were limited. Barriers to access varied with country of origin; from lack of trust in dentists and treatment cost in studies with India as the country of origin, to religiosity, among poorer nations such as Bangladesh. Fewer studies focused on recent arrivals from Bhutan or the Maldives. Culturally and socially appropriate strategies must be developed to target oral health issues and a \"one-size\" fits all approach will be ineffective in addressing the needs of South Asian migrants.