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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Joseph R. Merighi, PhD, School of Social Work, Boston University, 264 Bay State Road, Boston, MA 02215, 617-353-7914, merighi@bu.edu, Hyeouk Chris Hahm, PhD, School of Social Work, Boston univeristy, 264 Bay State Road, Boston, MA 02215, and Donald R. McCreary, PhD, Department of Psychology, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada.

Objectives: This study tested the association between health beliefs, self-examination and testing for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) undergraduates. Health beliefs included perceived vulnerability to health risks and personal control (i.e., control over their health in the future, as well as the role of luck and fate).

Methods: 423 AAPI undergraduates, 18-25 years of age, were obtained from three public universities in Northern California. The sample was comprised of Chinese (36.4%), Filipino (37.4%), and Vietnamese (26.2%) students, 56% of whom were women. Participants completed a 60-item Health Risk Inventory that measured risky health practices and health beliefs. Chi-square tests and logistic regression were conducted to test the study hypotheses.

Findings: Overall, perceptions of personal control over health were associated with STD self-examination and testing behaviors. Controlling for gender, religious attendance, SES, and perception of being in risk of serious illness, those who believed they had the highest control over their future, luck, or fate were almost 8 times more likely to self-examine for STDs (p = .002) and 4.4 times more likely to get tested for STDs every six months (p = .03), compared to those who believed to have had the lowest control.

Conclusions: Findings underscore the importance of a person's health-related belief in fate, luck, and future influence over health, especially in the AAPI student population. Interventions to increase STD self-examination and testing need to consider these health beliefs to design more culturally specific programs that promote positive health practices among AAPI college students.

Learning Objectives:

• To describe what is currently known about the sexual health beliefs and behaviors of Asian American/Pacific Islander college students
• To discuss the influence of personal control on Asian American/Pacific Islander college students’ STD self-examination and testing behaviors
• To outline steps that can be taken to provide culturally appropriate sexual health interventions with the Asian American/Pacific Islander student population

Keywords: Health Behavior, College Students

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered