Tackling Asian American Health Disparities

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127091480

Ko explained that, despite the “model minority myth for Asian-Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders,” some Asian subgroups suffer from disproportionately high rates of health and health care problems, disparities that are often only revealed once the data has been disaggregated. For example, she referred to a recent study that found that Korean children were four times more likely to lack health insurance than non-Hispanic white children in California. She said that culturally appropriate care, including language access, is an important factor in helping to reducing these disparities. She also noted that, at least anecdotally due to a dearth of data, Southeast Asian and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities face specific health and health are challenges, and high rates of uninsurance along with poor access to care are particular problems for the Asian-American community.

Topics: Ending Racism, Health Care, Health Care Access, Public Health