Transcript Health Disparities Training Program

Asian Americans Health Disparities
Nadia Islam, PhD
Deputy Director
Center for the Study of Asian American Health
P60 Project EXPORT Center
NIH/NCMHD
http://www.med.nyu.edu/csaah
CSAAH Mission
•
To reduce health disparities in the
Asian American community through
research, training and partnership
development.
CSAAH Aims

Develop and conduct research to understand,
address, and eliminate health disparities in the
Asian American community

Build new and strengthen existing private and
public partnerships in order to increase outreach,
advocacy, and research capacity to address Asian
American health disparities and social
inequalities;.

To train a cadre of health and public health
professionals on community-based approaches to
conducting research, outreach, service delivery,
and advocacy in the Asian American community
New Book
Who are Asian Americans?


A DIVERSE community comprising over 32
countries of origin, cultures, religions, time in the
U.S., age, English proficiency, and socioeconomic
status.
In thinking through diversity, it is critical to understand the
social, cultural, and demographic context of these
communities and the impact of these contexts on health



Various migration histories
Geographic dispersion and concentration
Various stages of community formation and capacity
Limitations to Current Health Literature
and Mortality Data

Dearth of meaningful available data
342 out of 150,369 federal health grants
= 0.2% on AAPI health
1,499 out of 10 million MEDLINE articles
= 0.01% on AAPI health
Source: Ghosh, C. (2003). Healthy People 2010 and Asian American/Pacific Isladers: Defining a Baseline of Information.
American Journal of Public Health, 93(12), 2093-2096.
Limitations of Current Health and
Mortality Data

Quality of available AAPI health literature
and research






Aggregated data
Small sample sizes
Inconsistent definitions of Asian Americans
Unevenly distributed by geographic region
Barriers to participation due to immigration
status and language
Lack of in-language data collection
Major Health Disparity Areas

Hepatitis B

Asians residing in the United States are 20- to 30-times more
likely to be infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) compared to
other ethnic groups. The rate of HBV infection ranges from
10% to 30% among Asian communities, with particularly high
rates among Chinese and other East Asian populations. In the
general population <1%.

Diabetes and other CVD risk factors
 National data indicates South Asians and Filipinos have
significantly higher rates of diabetes compared to White
population

Cancer

Asian American women have lower rates of breast and cervical
cancer screening than the White population
Emerging Health Disparity Areas

Mental Health



Health of the Elderly


Studies have suggested that Asian American women
experience high rates of depression, suicide, and other mental
health-related disorders
Particular ethnic groups within the AAPI community may face
unique mental health disparities as a result of their migration
experiences and cultural background.
Social isolation and lack of resources/social support
Disability

Stigma faced by individuals with disability; lack of social
support
NY Times: Invisible Immigrants, Old and Left With
‘Nobody to Talk To’ (August 31st, 2009)
Contextual Factors Impacting Health

Health Access



Occupational and Environmental Issues


Uninsurance and underinsurance
Culturally appropriate access (e.g. interpretation,
translation, health literacy)
Many Asian Americans are segregated in low-wage,
unregulated position
Racism and Discrimination

Increasing evidence of structural and interpersonal
racism faced by Asian Americans and impact on health
Strategies to Improve Health

Improved data collection at local and national levels

Building capacity and leadership to address health

Culturally tailored social service programs

Build partnerships across disciplines and build
linkages with non-health sectors

Create programs that address contextual factors
impacting health – across racial/ethnic communities
Areas and Programs to Support

Building capacity and leadership
 ex: Community Health Worker Programs

Efforts that engage community and university
collaborations
 ex: Training curricula for university and community
partners to develop collaborative research projects

Programs that increase access to healthcare
 ex: Programs to build health insurance funds

Evaluation

Ex: evaluation of media dissemination efforts
Contact Information:
Nadia Islam, PhD
Center for the Study of Asian American
Health
T: 212-263-7075
E: [email protected]
W: www.med.nyu.edu/csaah