Key health indicators from Chicago's Chinatown: Preliminary analysis of health disparities from an ongoing community health survey

Objectives: Local level health data for Asian communities are rare and usually aggregated into non-specific racial or ethnic groups. We describe the prevalence of various health outcomes among a concentrated Chinese population in Chicago and compare these measures to three other Chicago non-Asian communities. Methods: Random Census block sampling was used to identify eligible households and individuals in Chicago's Chinatown. Eligible participants were 18 years or older, self-identified as Asian, and consented to the study. Bi-lingual interviewers completed face-to-face questionnaires at participants' residences in Cantonese, Mandarin or English. Chinatown health measures were compared to data collected from three other Chicago communities using identical methods. Results: To date, 118 adults completed the survey. The majority of participants were female (62%) and the median age was 49 years; most were born in China (84%), and on average lived in Chinatown for 7 years. Over 17% of the surveyed population reported currently smoking, and men were significantly more likely to smoke than women (OR=3.16, 95% CI 1.64-4.70). Diagnoses with high blood pressure and high cholesterol were reported by 15% and 21% of the participants, respectively. Of women over 40 years, 64% had ever received a mammogram. Compared to three other non-Asian Chicago communities, fewer Chinatown residents had ever been tested for HIV. Conclusion: Health outcomes from Chicago's Chinatown are comparable to other Chicago communities; however, history of HIV testing is lower in this mainly Chinese neighborhood. Community level data is essential to determine critical health disparities.