IMPROVING VIETNAMESE IMMIGRANTS’ COGNITIVE HEALTH LITERACY - UNIVERSITY-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

Sep 29, 2026

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After the fall of Saigon in 1975, Vietnamese refugees and immigrants moved to the United States, where health data remain scarce despite a large population and increasing age. This work addresses unmet physical, mental, and cognitive health needs through university-community partnerships. The Cognitive Health Initiative (CHAIN) trained bilingual Vietnamese college students to conduct culturally tailored dementia screening using Vietnamese Montreal Cognitive Assessment (V-MoCA), and built mentor-mentee dyads to support independent delivery. Across 2023-2024, 42 students and 24 health fairs delivered 406 V-MoCA assessments, promoting teamwork and accountability.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages1

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Background

CHAIN Program Design and Training

Cultural Exchange Model

Mentor-Mentee Dyads (Cohorts 1 and 2)

Implementation and Outcomes (2023–2024)

Community Impact

Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 961 linguistically and culturally tailored dementia one-pager, formed the Cognitive Health Initiative (CHAIN), and offered Vietnamese refugees/immigrants complimentary memory tests. This study explains how the CHAIN program operates and fosters intergenerational relationships. Using the Cultural Exchange Model, we trained bilingual/bicultural Vietnamese college students (Cohort 1) and conducted cognitive assessments, Vietnamese Montreal Cognitive Assessment (V-MoCA), in 2023. In 2024, when Cohort 2 students joined, we formed mentor (Cohort 1)-mentee (Cohort 2) dyads. Cohort 1 demonstrated the assessment while Cohort 2 observed their mentors perform assessments. After several demonstrations, Cohort 2 tried the assessments supervised by Cohort 1. They repeated this sequence until Cohort 2 felt comfortable conducting the assessments independently. During 2023-2024, we recruited 42 students, attended 24 health fairs, and offered 406 V-MoCA. Mentors (Cohort 1) completed training their mentees (Cohort 2) with tips for conducting the V-MoCA and how to work with older adults. Through the mentor-mentee relationships, the CHAIN promoted teamwork, accountability, ethics, and responsibility to the community, and demonstrated successful university-community partnerships. Abstract citation ID: igaf122.3245 IMPROVING VIETNAMESE IMMIGRANTS’ COGNITIVE HEALTH LITERACY: UNIVERSITY-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS Christina Miyawaki1, Nguyen Nguyen1, Tuong-Vi Ho2, and Angela McClellan1, 1. University of Houston, Houston, Texas, United States, 2. Texas Woman’s University, Houston, Texas, United States After the fall of Saigon in 1975, waves of Vietnamese refugees/ immigrants migrated to the United States (U.S.) . Currently, 2.3 million Vietnamese live in the U.S. Many came with adverse conditions; however, their health data is scarce. After 50 years, many are aged and may have unmet health needs. To fill this gap, we developed the Vietnamese Aging and Care Survey and collected their health data in Houston, Texas, which revealed a high prevalence of physical, mental, and cognitive disabilities. Using the university-community partnerships, we developed a

FAQs

Why was the CHAIN program developed for Vietnamese immigrants and refugees?

Health data are scarce, and many immigrants who arrived after 1975 are now older with unmet physical, mental, and cognitive needs. CHAIN was created to address these gaps through culturally tailored cognitive health support.

How were students trained to deliver the assessments?

Bilingual/bicultural Vietnamese college students were trained using the Cultural Exchange Model. Cohort 1 demonstrated assessments, while Cohort 2 observed and then practiced under supervision until they could conduct assessments independently.

What tools and measures were used to assess cognitive health?

The program used culturally and linguistically tailored dementia one-pagers and administered memory tests using the Vietnamese Montreal Cognitive Assessment (V-MoCA).

What results were achieved during 2023–2024?

During 2023–2024, the program recruited 42 students, attended 24 health fairs, and offered 406 V-MoCA assessments. Mentor-mentee relationships also strengthened teamwork, accountability, ethics, and community responsibility.

Sep 29, 2026

Upload by Adam