146390 Asian American subgroup differences in sources of health information and predictors of screening behavior

Monday, November 5, 2007

Steven E. Shive, PHD, MPH , Health Department, East Stroudsburg University, East Stroudsburg, PA
Grace X. Ma, PhD , Center for Asian Health, Department of Public Health, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
Yin Tan, MD , Department of Public Health, Tempel University, Center for Asian Health, Philadelphia, PA
Jamil I. Toubbeh, PhD , Center for Asian Health, Department of Public Health, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
Lalitha Parameswaran , Public Health, Temple University Center for Asian Health, Philadelphia, PA
Joseph Halowich, MS , Health, Parkside High School, Salisbury, MD
This study examined Asian subgroup differences in sources of health information and cancer screening, comparison of Asians and Whites in screening, and the association between health information and screening behavior. A nationally representative sample of 579 Asian adults in the US, including those who speak, Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean was selected. Questionnaire items developed by the Commonwealth Fund included demographic variables, health status, cancer screening, health care experiences, health information sources, and use of an interpreter in the patient-provider interaction. There were differences between subgroups in source of health information. Indians from India were more likely to use the World Wide Web than Chinese, Koreans, and Filipinos. There were differences in ease of reading or understanding instructions on the prescription bottle, information booklets provided by physicians, and in difficulty speaking with a physician. There were differences in getting a general physical and a pap test between Asian ethnic subgroups and between Asians and Whites. Certain sources of health information were positively correlated with specific screening tests. Development of particular sources of health information relevant to specific Asian subgroups and for specific screening tests may enhance their decision making prior to and in conjunction with receiving medical care services.

Learning Objectives:
1. Participants will understand Asian subgroup differences in sources of health information. 2. Participants will be able to describe differences in health screening tests between Asian subgroups

Keywords: Asian Americans, Screening

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.