Differences in health conditions afflicting Asian indians, Chinese, and non-hispanic whites in the United States, national health interview survey 2012

Background: Based on 2010 U.S. Census data, Asians accounted for 5.6 percent of the total population, with Asian Indians comprising 20 percent of all Asian Americans. Many research studies analyze Asian Americans as one large group instead of their unique subgroups. This analysis explores the differences in health conditions between Asian Indian and Chinese adults, as well as non-Hispanic Whites. Methods: Bivariate analyses of 2012 National Health Interview Survey data were used to determine differences in health conditions among self-identified Asian Indians, Chinese, and non-Hispanic Whites. Logistic regression analyses were also conducted to compare Asian Indians to these racial groups to adjust for sociodemographic factors. Results: Bivariate analyses showed Asian Indians had statistically significant higher odds of history of diabetes and heart attacks than Chinese. However, Asian Indians had statistically significant lower odds of hypertension at two or more doctor's visits, stroke, and high cholesterol in the past 12 months than Chinese and statistically significant lower odds of hypertension at two or more doctor's visits, heart attack, and stroke than non-Hispanic Whites. Adjustment for sociodemographic factors yielded similar results to the bivariate analyses, with the notable exception of statistically significant higher odds of history of diabetes for Asian Indians than non-Hispanic Whites after adjustment. Discussion: Analyses confirmed the need to target and treat health conditions differently among the two major Asian subgroups in the United States. Future research should explore differences in health risk factors among these unique subgroups to target for intervention.