Asian American Health Promotion

Among minorities such as Asians, Hispanics, Indians, Native Americans, and Middle Easterners, the African American race has been affected tremendously by the health disparities in the United States. Currently, African Americans have significantly higher mortality rates from cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, HIV, unintentional injuries, pregnancy, sudden infant death syndrome, and homicide than do whites Americans (Fiscella & Williams, 2004). While African Americans may lead in these categories, other minorities are not far behind in experiencing health disparities.

With the increasing immigrant population a third barrier affecting access to health care is a cultural barrier. Culture barriers can include values and beliefs, language and race and ethnicity. Health beliefs and behavior can become a barrier when patients decide not to seek medical treatment and instead turn to home remedies and healers when treating illnesses. Approximately 10% of Americans speak a language other than English and can be classified ad being limited in their proficiency. For these patients language becomes a barrier and they are less likely to receive optimal medical treatment (Flores, 2006). Horton and Johnson (2010) stress the importance of communication in reducing disparities and increasing the trust of patients in the health care system. As reported by the American College of Physicians, evidence reveals that racial and ethnic minorities are more likely to receive inferior care when compared with non-minorities. This occurs even when minorities have access to insurance and adequate income (Racial and ethnic disparities in health care, 2010).

Asian Americans are a diverse group of people who are among the fastest growing minority groups in the United States. Despite their minority status, they often surpass Whites in America and do so while holding on to their cultural values regarding family, education, and success.

Hispanics are the largest and fastest growing ethnic minority group, estimated to be 54 million living in the United States of America. (Office of Minority Health and Health Equity). They work very hard to make both ends meet and also to stay in good health. They are relatively as a source of cheap labor in the American labor market This paper will dwell more on the Hispanic current Health status, how health promotion is described by the group and what health disparities exists for this group.

Many cultural beliefs and values are held about mental illness and health in Americans of

Asian Americans with no other ancestry comprise 4.8% of the U.S. population while people who are Asian alone or combined with at least one other race make up 5.6%

Despite improvements, differences persist in health care quality among racial and ethnic minority groups. People in low-income families also experience poorer quality care (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013). Access to care measures include facilitators and barriers to care and health care utilization experiences of subgroups defined by race and ethnicity, income, education, availability of health insurance, limited English proficiency, and availability of a usual source of care (Mandal, 2014).

Although the United States is a leader in healthcare innovation and spends more money on health care than any other industrialized nation, not all people in the United State benefit equally from this progress as a health care disparity exists between racial and ethnic minorities and white Americans. Health care disparity is defined as “a particular type of health difference that is closely linked with social or economic disadvantage…adversely affecting groups of people who have systematically experienced greater social and/or economic obstacles to health and/or clean environment based on their racial or ethnic group; religion; socioeconomic status; gender; age; mental health; cognitive, sensory or physical disability; sexual orientation or gender identity; geographic location; or other characteristics historically linked to discrimination or exclusion” (National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities [NPAEHD], 2011, p. 3). Overwhelming evidence shows that racial and ethnic minorities receive inferior quality health care compared to white Americans, and multiple factors contribute to these disparities, including geography, lack of access to adequate health coverage, communication difficulties between patients and providers, cultural barriers, and lack of access to providers (American College of Physicians,

The Center for Asian Health (CAH) mission is to reduce health disparities and improve health equity among Asian Americans and under-represented ethnic population through intervention research, training, community engagement through cancer and health programs, partnership, dissemination, and clinical support/patient navigation for culturally and linguistically appropriate comprehensive health studies (Sy, n.d.). Ma clearly addressed that they will continue to emphasize prevention and early detection to help reduce

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the health status of the American Indian/ Alaskan Native (AI/AN). A comparison and contrast of AI/ANs with the national average regarding the health status such as heart disease and strokes will be presented. Multifactorial barriers limiting health, and the overall factors affecting health within this population are identified. Current health status will be presented including health promotion and disparities among this US population. Primary, secondary, and tertiary health promotions will be discussed along with one approach to promoting health offered.

Department of Health,” 2011). The United States is composed of many different groups of people and diverse cultures. It is unfortunate that even today someone’s culture or race is a factor in determining the health care they receive and the quality of the care they receive (“Eliminating

About 36.6% of the population in the U.S belong to or identifies as one of the 5 ethnic minority groups. These groups are Native Hawaiian, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, African American or Black, or Pacific Islander. The U.S has the most expensive health care system in the world yet many of these minority groups are worse off in regards to socioeconomic and health care status if compared to white Americans. It is plain to see this health disparity when some communities have death rates comparable to 3rd world countries.

In the 1990s, there were more than 7 million Asian Americans in the United States of America. Bureau of the Census has published that there is a total of 3,726,400 Asians, which includes Pacific Isalnders, which is represented to about 1.6 percent of the population. Chinses Americans were the first Asian to be migrated in the United States.

This individual/family reports that she regularly speaks to her family in Taiwan via Skype, Facebook and cell phone. She grew up as a Buddhist but does not attend any religious services on a regular basis but does admit to occasionally meditating. Meditating is a central Buddhist practice; it is a “form of mental concentration that leads to enlightenment and spiritual freedom.” (religionfacts.com). Although this individual didn’t fully scribe to traditional beliefs on health and illness, she did give a few insights to the interviewer. Reputations are very important to Asians, being embarrassed or having something personal told to an outsider is a huge deal. Confidentiality is very important and medical-health issues are not discussed with outsiders. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [cdc], n.d., ∂ 4)). Asian culture beliefs include the mind-body-spirit balance or yin and yang.” Yin and Yang are dynamic and complementary, not oppositional forces, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, one can’t exist without the other and imbalance leads to illness.” (cdc,n.d). Traditional types of Chinese medicine include herbs, massage and acupuncture and acupressure; these remedies offer preventative and restorative properties. Acupressure is believed to “manipulate the flow of energy or Qi”; it is believed to be both preventative and restorative. (acupuncture benefits). In addressing health protection, promotion and restoration, this

population, with one-third of people younger than 18 years and fertility rates that exceed those of other ethnic group (Spicer, n.d.). Thse communities continue to face health challenges, due to lifestyle choices such as poor diet, physical inactivity, obesity, substance abuse, and injury (Indians.org, n.d.). The AI/AN statistical data supports the level of impact that persistent disparities and barriers to health care can have on a minority group. According to the 2014 CDC health statistics survey, the percent of persons of all ages in fair or poor health was 13.2 %, mortality number of deaths was 17,052, number of live births 44,928 and per 1,000 live births:7.61 resulted in deaths, percent of person under the 65 years of age without health insurance coverage 28.3% (CDC.gov, 2014). AI/AN communities face many health challenges including higher mortality rates from TB, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, accidents, diabetes, pneumonia, suicide, and homicide when compared with other racial and ethnic groups (CDC.gov, 2014). Between the years of 2014-2015, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, listed leading causes of death among the AI/AN to be heart disease, malignant neoplasms, unintentional injuries, and diabetes (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2014-2015). The average life expectancy for the native community is 4.4 years less