Table 5.
Demographic and lifestyle characteristics of Burmese refugee participants of the NYS Healthy Fishing Communities Program (n = 206).
| Characteristics | Categories | N (%) a |
|---|---|---|
| Male | Total | 82 (39.8) |
| 18–39 years | 43 (52.4) | |
| 40–59 years | 33 (40.2) | |
| 60 years or older | 6 (7.3) | |
| Female | Total | 124 (60.2) |
| 18–39 years | 71 (57.3) | |
| 40–59 years | 46 (37.1) | |
| 60 years or older | 7 (5.6) | |
| Ethnicity | Burman | 38 (20.1) |
| Karenni | 27 (14.3) | |
| Karen | 96 (50.8) | |
| Other | 28 (14.8) | |
| Body Mass Index | Normal (< 25 kg/m2) | 78 (38.4) |
| Overweight (25–29.9 kg/ m2) | 90 (44.3) | |
| Obese (30 + kg/m2) | 35 (17.2) | |
| Years of total school completed | None | 56 (28.0) |
| 1–8 years | 88 (44.0) | |
| 9–12 years | 49 (24.5) | |
| > 12 years | 7 (3.5) | |
| Currently unemployed | 145 (71.1) | |
| Country of birth | Burma/Myanmar | 185 (97.4) |
| Thailand | 5 (2.6) | |
| Length of residence in the U.S. | < 5 years | 130 (63.7) |
| 5–13 years | 74 (36.3) | |
| Lived in a refugee camp | 174 (86.1) | |
| Ever breastfed their children b | 84 (76.4) | |
| Receive SNAP benefits | 171 (83.8) | |
| Receive WIC services | 76 (38.4) | |
| Smoking and tobacco use | Current smoker | 45 (22.4) |
| Former smoker | 18 (9.0) | |
| Never smoker | 138 (68.7) | |
| Currently uses chewing tobacco or snuff |
59 (29.3) | |
| Use of Thanakar (cosmetic paste) | 90 (45.0) | |
| Betel nut use | Store bought betel nut | 37 (18.0) |
| Natural betel nut | 19 (9.2) | |
| Use of supplements | Herbal medicine/supplements | 10 (4.9) |
| Fish oil | 3 (1.5) | |
| Swam, dove, waded in local waters in the past year |
25 (12.3) | |
| Heard about health advice on eating fish from nearby waters |
79 (39.3) |
a
Percentages are based on excluding missing values and responses such as ‘don’t know’ or ‘refused’.
b
Based on responses from women who ever gave birth (denominator = 110, excluding missing values).