266299 Understanding social determinants of health for Asian Americans: Who's at risk?

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Won Kim Cook, PhD , Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, San Francisco, CA
Winston Tseng, PhD , Health Research for Action, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Corina Chung , Research & Data, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, San Francisco, CA
Asian Americans are culturally, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse. There is a bimodal distribution of incomes and education levels among AA ethnic groups, with some socioeconomically far better off than the others. The proportions of the foreign-born and those who have limited English proficiency are higher among Asian Americans than most other racial groups. The paucity of national health data for Asian Americans, particularly for diverse Asian American subgroups, has been widely noted. To improve understanding of Asian American health needs and disparities affecting them, we will present findings of our multiple regression analysis of the pooled 2006-2010 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data, which arguably includes the largest Asian American samples among all the national health surveys on a wide range of health topics. We will provide national epidemiologic profiles of adult chronic health conditions (such as cancers, heart diseases, diabetes, hypertension, sexually-transmitted diseases, and viral hepatitis) and child health conditions (including birth weight, overweight/obesity, diabetes, asthma, and mental health). A specific focus of this study is to identify social determinants of health, manifested in the interplay among immigrant status, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and health care access. Special attention will be given to identifying high-risk subgroups among Asian Americans with the greatest health needs and barriers in accessing health care. We will examine if Asian American subgroups with the most concentrated disadvantages experience the greatest health disparities or, if not, what other patterns of disparities emerge.

Learning Areas:
Chronic disease management and prevention
Epidemiology

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe high prevalence of life-threatening chronic conditions among some Asian American subgroups. 2. Identify high-risk subgroups among Asian Americans with the greatest health needs and disparities. 3. Discuss patterns of health disparities unique to Asian Americans.

Keywords: Asian Americans, Immigrants

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: As a research manager at a national Asian American organization, I conduct research on Asian American health with a focus on more disadvantaged subgroups. In my other position as an Associate Scientist at the Alcohol Research Group, I also conduct research on Asian American adolescent and young adult drinking, funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. I have several publications in peer-reviewed journals, including three on Asian American health.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

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.