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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Angela C. Lee, Tufts University, College of Liberal Arts, 424 Miller Hall, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, 617-372-0313, Angela_C.Lee@tufts.edu, Doug Brugge, Department of Public Health and Family Medicine, Tufts University, 136 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA 02111, Linh Phan, College of Liberal Arts, Tufts University, 313 Lewis Hall, Medford, MA 02155, and Mark Woodin, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Tufts University, 200 College Avenue, Anderson Hall, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155.

Little is known about the relative knowledge of asthma in recent immigrant Asian populations in the US. To comparatively assess asthma knowledge for Asian and non-Asian populations, 333 parents and children were surveyed at two geographically close urban clinics that had a large percentage of Asian patients, most of whom were Chinese. The Asian respondents scored lower compared to the non-Asian respondents on 4 of the 6 knowledge questions (p<0.001). Subcategories of non-Asians (white, African-American, Hispanic) were more similar to each other than they were to Asians. In multivariate analysis we found that SES (measured as parental occupation) and being Asian were independent predictors of less asthma knowledge. Interestingly, having family members with asthma did not improve knowledge scores. A single focus group of Cantonese-speaking parents of asthmatic children suggested that a combination of cultural factors and lack of knowledge contribute to lower knowledge scores in this Asian population. Asthma education programs need to be developed, tailored to recent Asian immigrants and tested for efficacy.

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize the health challenges faced by Asian Americans and self-management of asthma due to lack of knowledge.
• Discuss cultural and linguistic issues related to childhood asthma.
• Develop and prioritize the need for development of asthma education programs tailored culturally and linguistically for Asian immigrants.

Keywords: Asian Americans, Asthma

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation