Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #105136

Jie Li¹, Chiehwen Ed Hsu, PhD, MPH¹, Nancy L. Atkinson, PhD², Ulder Tillman, MD, MPH³, Leslie Richardson¹, Fang Yan, MD¹, Jing Tian, MD¹, Amy S. Billing, MSSA², and Robert S. Gold, PhD, DrPH². (1) Public & Community Health, University of Maryland, College Park, Suite 2387 Valley Drive, College Park, MD 20742-2611, 301-980-2385, jie@wam.umd.edu, (2) Public Health Informatics Research Laboratory, University of Maryland, Department of Public and Community Health, Suite 2387 Valley Drive, College Park, MD 20742-2611, (3) Department of Health and Human Services, Montgomery County, Maryland, 401 Hungerford Drive, Rockville, MD 20850

The purpose of this paper is to present a health needs assessment study conducted among Asian American communities in a Maryland county to learn the health access needs, priorities for intervention, and community health resources of the Asian community in the County.

Methods: Approximately 50 community stakeholders from representative Asian community organizations and health practitioners of the Asian Indian, Cambodian, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese subgroups were interviewed. Both focus group meetings and individual interviews were used for data collection. Questions included a wide range of health concerns, particular populations (senior and the youth) and conditions (mental health). Data were qualitatively analyzed to explore health access issues and potential solutions of intervention.

Results: Almost all interviewees expressed a common concern for the lack of access to health care services associated with the lack of health insurance, and language and transportation barriers. The refugee community had an expressed need for mental health screening. In addition, most emphasized the needs of health care for the uninsured, low-income families and the senior population, called for culturally appropriate health education programs, and stressed the importance of involving Asian community organizations in providing health information and basic health services to this community. Alternative medicine was commonly used in this community. The information gathered in this study provides a basis for developing a minority health database for routine update, interventions, and ongoing surveillance in this community over time.

Learning Objectives:

As a result of this presentation, participants will be able to
• Describe the health needs and priority health issues among Asian American communities in Maryland;
• List the procedures used in the needs assessment;
• Identify the reasons of the lack of access to health care services and the barriers that prevent Asian communities from accessing health care;
• Describe the data elements that may be considered in a surveillance database of minority health.

Keywords: Health Disparities, Minority Health

Related Web page: www.phi.umd.edu/aahi

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation